Kaijudo Assault of the Mana Users
by BardofWorlds
Summary: One month has passed from the invasion. With their city recovering our heroes prepare for the Chotten's next attack and along the way they lean just what secrets that have been hidden from the Order and the truth of their world, the affect Mana and Creatures have had on their world's history. Part of a three connected stories set in the same connected 'world'
1. Episode 1 It Begins Again

Hello all, welcome to my new project! As I said in the description this is part of a three part story that takes place around the same time in the same world so enjoy! And those who are wondering my Pokémon Story should have the next chapter out by Wedsnday and the next part of the three parter will be out tomorrow and the last on Tuesday. So enjoy one and all! And the final thing, I have permission from EchowolfS to use his Titans idea and weapon gauntlets so just saying, he has a great Kaijudo story read it.

Fingers ran through a forest at night as he cursed his life and his choices. _The plan had to fall apart when those brats attacked, and I had to escape into the Darkness Ream near that exit to Nature! How the hell was I supposed to know that a pack of fucking Creatures who thought they had to release the spirits of the others to be reborn as their own by eating them! And what the hell are they and what the heck are they wielding? I thought theses Nature punks didn't have things like that and I know I haven't ever seen things like them ever._ Fingers thought as he ran, dodging bolts of mana as he tried to get away from them as his tech-gauntlet sparked.

"To think a few hours ago the plan was looking so good! If I ever get my hands around any of those brat's throats, I'll throttle them!" Fingers promised as he ran and looked over his shoulder at the creatures hunting him. The things were around five feet tall stocky humanoids with light gray skin dressed in loincloths wielding bows with mana strings and fired blots of mana, spears with glowing blades and three black lizard dog like creatures ran beside them. _Okay gotta keep moving, I've got a busted gauntlet and only a small lead on those things but I ain't going down like this! _Finger thought before a bolo caught him around his legs and he was sent to the floor. The creatures stopped and surrounded him until one wearing a headdress came forward with a regal air about it

"You have given us a good run brother. Know that when you return to us a new born we will raise you as a warrior, a leader. May you sleep well and come back as proudly as you fought." The headdress wearing one said as Fingers struggled to undo the bolo as the as the creatures moved closer to him.

"Come on guys I'm not that brave really, you'd like a kid I know a lot better, if you let me go I'll bring him back and you can welcome him to your people, I'm sure he'd be leading you all in a few years." Fingers said as he struggled and tried to move backwards.

"Stonasaur blast 'em!" A voice called out before stone shards flew and hit the headdress wearing one and took out its right eye and some of the others were hit as well. Fingers looked from where the stones had come from and saw Stonasaur, two Snaptongue Lizards and an Aqua Trickster before Heller and three Minions.

"TAKE 'EM DOWN HARD, THEIR MAN EATERS!" Fingers bellowed as the creatures stared at Heller and the others before Heller reacted by glaring at the creatures.

"You heard 'em boys, take em down hard!" He bellowed as he sent Stonasaur at the creatures with the others following behind it. Stonasaur bit deep on one of the lizard-dogs and threw it at one of the humanoids as the two Snarptogue's charged and the Trickster started to fire at those with ranged weapons. Heller drew a high tech looking pistol and fired at one the creatures coming at Fingers on the ground and hit it right between the eyes with a bolt of mana before it crumpled to the ground. As the creatures they were fighting reacted and started to fall back, Heller hitting one of the lizard dogs as one of things grab the one in the headdress and another raised a glowing staff and the area was suddenly plunged in a darkness that hid everyone from sight. When it faded the only thing left was the two downed creatures, Fingers the Tech minions and their creatures. Moving towards the creature Heller drew a knife and put it through the Creatures head and did the same to the lizard dog before walking over to Fingers and looking down at him.

"Heller, where'd the hell you been?!" Fingers demanded as he looked at Heller who smirked and reached down a hand. As he pulled Fingers to his feet he gestured over his shoulder at a five hex pods, four of them had at least five minions on them in various states of injury.

"Got pulled to the border of Fire and Nature by Stonasaur and made it to the fallback, but not before running into something along the border. Made it to the site and the boss was there putting together the escape group and sent me to try and find any of our boys who might be injured in Nature. Saw the positional data your gauntlet sent off and a damage report and we were nearby so here I am. Where in Darkness did you end up?" Heller said as he looked about at the

"Near a cavern that looked like a lot of creatures moved through it and found a way out that led into Nature. Long story short those things were trying to eat me so my soul would become one with them or something like that." Fingers said as he walked towards the Hex Pads. Heller looked down at one of the creature corpses on the ground and looked at the pads before nodding his head._ I ain't never seen anything like this in any of the data we've got so we'd better bring back a sample. I don't want to think what the Doc would do if we left something interesting behind; probably make me her next experiment._ Heller thought with a shudder as he barked his orders.

"You three; grab both of the bodies and that things weapon, the Doc will like some new specimens to play with and I'm sure the boss won't be too made if she decides to use us instead." Heller said as he walked after Fingers. The Minions looked at after Heller and moved towards the bodies with their creatures following them, the Aqua Trickster bending down to put the bodies onto the Snaptongue Lizards and moved towards the Hex Pads, all three of the Minions exchanging looks as they moved.

"So lay it on me Heller, what kinda place is the backup site, I was on Nigel duty so I never went there." Fingers asked only to be met with a smirk from Heller.

Ray sighed as he stared over the ocean from the bluff, looking at the setting sun in the distance. It had been a month since the Choten's invasion of San Campion and beside the work the city was doing to recover from the freak _earthquake_ it had been completely quiet since then. The damage to the city had been _surprisingly intact_ to the shock of the civil authorities and the school had only opened a week ago and the city had announced that they would stop handing out meals tomorrow so everything would be back to normal soon. _Well, quiet if you count running all over the place getting small creatures back to their realm after the Choten brought them through the Veil and the Spell of Radiant Purification turned them back to normal but dropped them If we have to get one more Megabug out of the forest or keep a Burn Belly from starting a fire, I don't know if Allie will let it leave this side alive. _Ray thought with a chuckle as he remembered the fit she had thrown when the two of them and Gabe had found those Burn Belly's in the local salvage yard burning trash to eat. Thankfully Gargle had been able to use a junked Firetruck, a normal truck and a little Water-tech to put out the fire, the truck being banished with Gargle as they escaped on Bob when the watchman had come over to investigate.

"And I'm betting that we might be done with all the time we have to recover, what with what Bob and Gargle said are happening in the Creature Realm." Ray said to himself as he crossed his arms. The Monarchs still being in the Null Zone, the various Civilizations were fortifying their borders and Bob had said other groups all over the Fire and Nature Civilizations were _wary_ as new clans seemed to come out of nowhere, holding territory that was once empty and now showed long term habitation. And then there was the fact that Lord Skycrusher was trying to rebuild Blastforge City, and then the other city lords were trying to tempt some of his citizens and artisans to move to their city, Bob had even said his cook had gone back to his clan's land, something about reforging his armor. Bob had even looked smug when he had said that they had found Skycrusher's prized Stomper warbot destroyed and Skycrusher had ordered it scrapped.

Bob had mentioned that with the devastation that the Choten's assault had caused that his family was moving farther inland from the border with water, a valley Headstrong Wanderer knew was or had been empty given. Gargle had a lot to tell about the Water Civilization. When King Tritonus hadn't returned from the summit, Captain Orwellia had tried to take control but Councilor Hokira had rallied his supporters and freed Milporo and the others Orwellia had imprisoned and even now the Water Capital was under siege as Milporo tried to hold them all in the city, a plan he said to hold 'all traitors to our king in one place until our king returned', not that he had a plan for that effect. Finbarr had returned and taken control of his dreadnaught and forces and the last information was that he was trying to gather support from the rest of the Water Civilization to break the siege. Gargle has said that he had returned to his own territory, a small reef far to the south, really just a small 'site' as he described it._ And that was surprising; Gargle had a mansion of his own to control. Still I hope the Choten didn't take any vengeance on Gargle's stuff or people._ _Still we might take up that offer Gargle made to use it as a place to crash while we're searching for the Choten in the Water Civilization._ Ray thought as he stared into the sunset, deep in thought.

"You seem to be elsewhere nephew, what is on your mind?" The hard voice behind him caused him to turn to see his great uncle Isao walk towards him, Ray could see barbecue his mother was tending as his father and Grandfather set up the table, his father laughing at something his grandfather said. _It's been a month but I'll never get how good it is that dad's home. Still shocked that we were able to make up a cover story that worked so well to explain what happened to him._ Ray thought as he turned to Isao.

"Just thinking about how the last few weeks have been, the cleanup and then there's what we've heard about the Kaiju Realm lately Uncle Isao." Ray said as his uncle joined him and sighed deeply.

"Yes, the Choten hasn't made a move since his invasion failed, hasn't he? The fact the Monarchs are still in the Null zone and with the Artifacts lost, one reason the war has gone cold I would say. Still we should not let our guard down, we must find both where that one is and find out what happened to Tiera and Brightmore after their battle in the transfer gate." Isao said as he stood next to Ray who nodded at the reply and shuddered a little. _Never thought Nigel would have it in him, but the way of Light is order, that's why he turned traitor on the Order because it was changing. And he partially personified order in his loyalty to what he thought the Order should be, its traditions unchanging and a counter to the chaos he saw the Kaiju Realm. But in the end he had a few lines he wouldn't cross, but still I think that I can respect that at least and given the horror show Master Jaha said could happen to them I don't know if I should hope their dead or alive. _Ray thought as he looked over the ocean.

"You're wondering if it might be better if the Masters Tiera and Brightmore are dead, aren't you?" Isao said as he watched his great nephew shudder. Ray jolted and looked at him, a sheepish look on his face and moved to speak before Isao brought up a hand to stop him.

"Don't be surprised, given what Jaha described could happen to someone if they were transit when the Dojo's lay line transit gate was destroyed; I think that death might have been a mercy to them. And personally, I have seen what happens when someone's body is being transported and the method falls part way through, a horror I would never see again if I'm lucky." Isao said as he looked at Ray.

"You've seen one of the cases Master Jaha said could have happened to those two?" Ray asked as he went green. Isao nodded at Ray before continuing.

"It was years ago, before you were born and August was still a member of the Order, an acolyte was said to have been planning to use Creatures to commit crimes and fought his way to the transfer gate and tried use it to escape the chamber was damaged. All that arrived was his left arm." Isao said as he closed his eyes in pain. Ray had a sinking feeling and decided to voice what he felt

"Who reported him, wait don't tell me." Ray said as he saw the look Isao face took. Isao only nodded at him and looked at the setting sun.

"Indeed, it was the Choten. And a few weeks later was when he attacked your family and drove you all into the Kaiju Realms." Isao said as Ray clenched his fists as he thought about all that the Choten had done to his family, from driving them to the Kaiju Realm, stealing his father's memories and caused him and Humonculon to fuse together. _The more I learn about him, the more disgust I have. I wonder, when did he start to make that serum of his, and the spell how did it come to be? Wait, Nigel tried to evolve Tiera's creature while the Choten was in the Order, but then how did he create a chemical to do the same thing? And Nigel said he 'found' the spell, how could the Order forget about something like that? _Ray thought as he looked up at his uncle.

"Say Uncle Isao, I just realized something, I've never learned just where spells come from, I mean, who and how are they made." Ray asked causing Isao to chuckle as he shook his head.

"Has the Temple's teachings fallen that far or did all the hazards cause the Masters to focus on practical lessons then the theoretical and historical? Let me tell you what my own teacher taught me. Most spells are ancient, old beyond reckoning from the time when the world was one. I believe that my own master said some spells were created to either copy the abilities that the ancient shaman's saw the creatures do or were made for by the shamans for a purpose like the spell of Healing, other more modern spells were based off spells themselves and were modified to suit the caster's need. I myself modified a few spells over the years, I think you might….What's wrong?" Isao asked as he saw Ray start to look worried and concerned.

"The Spell of Evolution, Nigel found it and it had to have inspired the Choten to create his serum, if someone saw a creature evolve naturally then when was it and where? And if Nigel found it, did the fact it was possible inspire the Choten to make his evolution serum since it does the same thing? " Ray asked as he looked at Isao whose mouth dropped open as he tried to come up with an answer before his eyes hardened.

"Why do I have a feeling that the other masters should be brought into this discussion. Now come, let us table this for now and go back to our family, this is a celebration for your father's new job. The food should be ready and it's always better to eat with kin then it is to eat alone as my father used to say." Isao said as he put his hand on his nephews shoulder and started to lead him towards the table.

Allie waited outside the doors to the school as Ray's bus drove up and shivered before looking around. _Not again, what in the world is that?! It's been over a month since this started; you have to get a handle on this_ _Allison! _Allie thought as she looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary as usual. Ever since the invasion a few weeks back she had been feeling something watching her ever since she had come back to her house after the invasion. She scowled as she looked about and noticed a limo stopping and a pale boy in a grey shirt and white pants with black hair got out, a backpack over his shoulder as students started to gather around him. _ And there he is, guess I wasn't lucky enough for him to not be here today. I don't know why but something about him makes my skin crawl whenever he talks to me. Still I can't hate the guy; Carny does go after him as much as the three of us and he seems to give as good as he gets._ Allie thought as she looked at the buses and never noticed when Ray and Gabe reached her.

"Morning Allie; anything new on your end?" Ray asked as they reached her. She looked back towards them, the shock on her face causing Ray to chuckle a little as Allie got control of herself and tried to hide her reaction.

"Just seeing that my prayers haven't been answered, Giovanni still hasn't got sick yet." Allie said darkly as the person in question led a group of girls he was talking to into the school and past them, Allie shuddering as he went past them. Gabe just sighed as he watched Allie shudder and looked after Giovanni as he walked with the girls, some of them laughing at something he said.

"Really Allie what's your problem with him? He's not a bully, he seems to be okay and he's pretty popular, so really what's wrong?" Gabe asked as the three walked into the building.

"I don't know something about him feels so slimy. It's almost as bad as the way I've been feeling someone watching me for the last month with the most recent just before we came in." Allie said as she held herself as they walked towards their class. Ray felt a spark of anger in him that surprised him for a few seconds before he forced himself to relax.

"Still nothing about that?" Ray asked when they reached their lockers and started to get their books for class. Gabe meanwhile just sighed and looked at Allie.

"I've looked over the Stalker Sphere's watching our homes and the school and there's nothing when you've felt it Allie. If something is watching you then it's either invisible or out of range." Gabe said with a note of finality in his voice as he looked up from his phone. _Or it's in her head, but given what's happened to us since we became Duelists that's kind of understandable. _Gabe thought as he looked at Allie who just looked at him with a frown on her face and opened her mouth before the loudspeakers blared to life.

"Welcome back to the second week since we've been able to start up again students. I know we were only opened last since Thursday and some of you have friends that stayed absent to help their families but keep your focus on your studies please. This is a reminder for one and all that the bake sale to help fund the cleanup is this Friday after school; all students volunteering are excused from their last class to help set up and there will be volunteer positions open until Thursday or their all filled up, talk to your homeroom teacher if you desire to volunteer. Remember students all the **known **damage has been repaired but if anyone sees anything that looks broken, wrong or dangerous notify a teacher." Allie looked at Ray and smirked at him.

"So all the masters could think of was blaming the damage on was an earthquake, you gotta admit it makes sense in a strange way. Makes you wonder how many 'natural disasters' we hear about are really creature based." Allie said with a huff as they finished getting their books.

"Did either of you two decided to volunteer?" Gabe asked as they walked towards their classes, never noticing Carny watching them from his locker with his _friends_, a scowl on his face as he eyes never left Ray. _Can't believe that mutt beat the Choten and caused the invasion to fail. But you just wait mutt, sooner or later I'll put you in your place and then I'll make sure you stay there! And with the money from Friday, I think I'll be able to get some more muscles to help me out around here. _Carny thought with a smirk as he closed his locker.

"Ray and his pals sure have acted like they'll looking down at us lately haven't they Carny?" Nickels asked as they watched the three walk away. Carny grunted as he looked about and let his thoughts run wild.

"Still if you can pull it off that'll be something, to bad nobody will ever know right boss?" Driggs said as he started to snicker, only to stop when Carny turned to glare at him

"Stuff it, keep your mouth shut and be ready to do your part once I give the signal. On Friday after the sale is done we move. Do a good enough job and maybe you'll get a taste of the power I've gotten lately." Carny said with a growl as he walked off, Nickles and Driggs following in his wake, they never noticing a girl with dusky skin and midnight black hair in a black dress and black tights had been hiding out of sight and had heard everything Carny had said.

She moved towards her class and moved on autopilot as she tried to understand just what she had heard and what to do. _I thought he was a natural user, but what he said about gotten lately, someone taught him. Then the other three he normally bothers, could they have been taught, by a rival teacher? If he's using the creatures to do a crime, then he's like mother…. I need to talk to my brother; Aruna will know what to do. But what if anyone else is a seer as well, do they know about me?_ She thought as she moved into her class and took her seat. Someone hugged her from behind and she jerked, startled before turning and seeing the face of her friend.

"Hey Nirṛti, how ya doing?" The speaker was a girl with a sunny smile on her face that reached her black eyes. She had dark skin and black hair in a ponytail and was wearing a red shirt and grey pants. Nirṛti looked at her friend with a smile. _Of course I can turn to my friend for help. I can't tell her everything that's but I can frame it so she knows the problem._ Nirṛti thought as she looked at the girl.

"Hello Isabella, how's your brother, did anything new happen? Did he finally start to act like the weight of the world isn't on his shoulders?" Nirṛti asked only for Isabella only sighed dramatically.

"No Hector is still acting like he's waiting for something to come and kill us, really what is he involved with that he has to be so serious all the time, I thought finally dating that Nadia would let him relax but really. And he left for a few days, if I didn't know my brother so well I'd think he's eloped with his girlfriend, but of course he knows I'd need to go with him to be the maid of honor." Isabella finished with a huff that caused Nirri to release a laugh for a few seconds before a commotion at the front of the class caused them to look up and see the teacher coming in.

Isao walked through the temple moving towards the War Room , the conversation he had with Ray the night before still running through his mind. _When did August start to even think it could be possible to turn a spell into a liquid? What did he do to the creatures to gather the knowledge to make it…? I don't want to know but we need to look into anything he might have hidden behind when he was chased from the Temple, the laylines could not have been the only thing behind his attack. _Isao thought as he walked, so focused on his thoughts he never notice someone else was in the War Room .

"Master Isao what's wrong? You look worried my friend." Isao looked up to see Master Kimora before Panopter as various screens from Stalker Spheres.

"Master Kimora, good day. It might be something or it could be nothing, but Ray had a thought yesterday during a decision we were having. It revealed a few…. Gaps in the Order's teaching towards him and his friend." Isao asked as he walked to stand next to Kimora, looking at the feed from a Stalker Sphere near the San Champion Middle School, seeing Ray Allie and Gabe enter the building and nodded. Kimora looked rueful with a sheepish smile before he replied.

"Ray has shown good instants in the past but with everything that's happened over the last year I suppose their instructions were a bit…. _slanted_ towards what would keep them alive instead of the general lesson plan most get. What was his thought about?" Kimora asked as he moved to look at another feed.

"He asked me how spells are created and brought up the fact that the Choten had _seen_ the spell of Evolution that Nigel found before he left the order." Isao said as Kimora turned to him in shock.

"The Choten _saw _a Creature evolve by a spell? When did he…. Tiera disappearance, if I recall your nephew and Nigel were there with the Choten weren't they? All they told us was her creature turned on them, they never said why now that I think about it" Kimora asked as he tried to remember what he had been told about the incident.

"Brightmore cast the spell of Evolution on Master Tiera's dragon at her demand, Ken said Brightmore had found it and they had gone to the Fire Civilization to test it. I asked Ken if he remembered anything more about the incident, he said the Choten started acting… _wrong_ after Tiera's disappearance and well it caused him to look into what the Choten was doing and that led to…. Well what caused the Choten to attack his family." Isao said as Kimora listened to what was he was being told with a surprised look on his face.

"Nigel found the spell, he actually found it here? How many secrets does this old place have do you think?" Kimora asked as he looked over the temple and started to think. _If Nigel found the spell somewhere here then perhaps we should consult a map of this place and go over every section, just what we've lost over the years would be quite an undertaking, hmmm. Perhaps this could be a good lesson for our Adapts, and I think I'll have Lucy help them. In a way it could be a reward for all the hard work they've been doing recently with all the cleanup work they've done lately. Yes that is a perfect idea, with Chaves and Nadia both away mapping a route to one of our Water outposts near Japan and are due back sometime tomorrow if nothing happens, Jaha and Isao are due to patrol the town with our Acolytes and I have to remain on watch. The four of them could check the map and start to explore the old sections, I should make sure that Gabe summons his partner beforehand, I'm sure he could make something to help it. Have them keep a radio with them and it should be safe enough. _Kimora smiled at his decision and turned to Isao who spoke up.

"More then there were before he left, of that I have no doubt. Still someone should look into it, since we never knew about the spell before Raiden and his friend found it, then on that note then it stands to reason that the temple might holds other secrets?" Isao asked only to be met with a nod of Kimora's head.

"No, and Master Jaha didn't either. And given that she is among the oldest of all members of the Order in how long she's spent as one of us, if anyone would have heard about the spell through gossip before then it would have been her. As for the spell being found again, I agree with you that other things could be hidden here. Given all that's happened recently I believe our _Adepts _can solve that issue and rest from all their work cleaning up after the invasion. There are a few places here that I don't think anyone has walked through for years now. They can explore and do something more than practice on their own while I watch the feeds." Kimora said causing Isao to chuckle at what he heard.

"Indeed, given how Allison reacted yesterday I think that might be a good idea. I will head to the library and look over the old records, and on a personal mater I was never told why, only that Nigel would become the next Master of Light." Isao asked Kimora who shrugged his shoulders at him.

"When that happened I was stationed at one of the outposts in the rainforest. During the time that Nigel would have become the Light Master I was tracking down a Tree-kin that was trying to set up roots so to speak. I only returned to takeover for your nephew and then the next year was the Choten's betray. That first year was a struggle to find a way to deal with him and close the breaches when they happened, and a few stray creatures that were most likely escapes from his experiments so I never really thought about how the others got onto the council." Kimora said before a motion on one of the screens caught his eyes and he turned abruptly, Isao turning as well and looking at the screen in question.

"What is it Master Kimora?" Isao asked as he tried to see what had caused Kimora to turn suddenly.

"I saw a streak of red that I….oh there it is. Just a dog in a sweeter. " Kimora said with a sheepish tone to his voice as a dog in a vibrant red sweater was shone on the screen causing Isao to chuckle a little at what had happened as he walked off, Kimora looking at Panopter and walked after Isao.

"I think I'll join you at the library and find that map of the temple. Best to find it now since nothing seems to be happening." Kimora said as they left. They never noticed on another screen farther down a small black quadruped form with four tails run dash across a rooftop, the screen showed the form jump and kill a pigeon with its mouth before dashing off screen.

Ray just stirred his soup as he looked around the outdoor cafeteria, noting those who were there and those who were gone; he noticed a few more than here then last Friday and that most were eating school lunches. _I know that most of the supermarkets were destroyed, and the fact that most people had to get rations from the city while they were repaired but a lot of people probably found a love for school food._ Ray thought as he smiled.

"One thing about all the recovery work to clean up from the quake, a lot of kids are eating the food here or getting some to take home." Allie said as she looked around, Ray looked up and noticed some kids were going back to get seconds to put away.

"Yeah, the creatures destroyed half the grocery stores in the city, I do know that the fishermen were out longer and sold what they got at half price. And that's not counting all the home grown food that was harvested." Ray said as he drank some of his soup.

"You know I checked what was recorded by the Stalker Spheres of the invasion, hoping to find a method to the damage and I think most of it was from when Heller was controlling them, not the Choten. According to the Stalker Sphere before the Choten confronted us the creature's attention was on the Masters and causing fear. It was only when someone else took control that they started to cause damage to the surrounding areas." Gabe said as he looked up from his phone as he ate his sandwich.

"Yeah and did you notice that Carnahan Chemicals is still closed until next week, 'to make sure no structural damage has been caused by the disaster? I'd bet you anything he's trying to retool for his boss." Allie said with a scowl on her face as Ray nodded and Gabe sighed.

"Its times like this that really makes you think of what we stopped, doesn't it?" Gabe asked softly as he looked about, noticing the groups here or there talking quietly were a lot smaller then they had been two months ago, most of those not there were either still out helping their families, injured or had been sent to relatives to stay safe.

"It would be nice if one of those _people _had gone away for a while though." Allie said as she looked at Carny's table as he laughed at something one of the others said as Lucy sat down next to Gabe. _If Giovanni, Nickles,_ _Driggs or Portia had been gone as well then this will be a great week. Of course Portia had to be an even bigger bitch then normal since Maribel left and take out her anger out on everyone else._ Allie thought as she looked around the cafeteria

"We talking about Carny's pals right, isn't it possible that he might have brought them to safety for the incident? And who are the others?" Lucy asked as she started to eat her food.

"Portia and Giovanni, if they weren't here then this place would be a lot better in my opinion." Allie said as Lucy looked at her.

"Seriously, I can get Portia but Giovanni? What's you beef with him?" Lucy asked as she thought of the rich new student who had transferred in last week, already a lot of girls were in to him but why she didn't know. _The guy seems okay but that doesn't account for his popularity but hey what do I know, I try to stay out of that kind of popularity garbage._ Lucy said as Allie just scowled.

"I don't know, something about him just makes my skin crawl, I just don't like him okay!" Allie said as Lucy held up her hands and chuckled.

"Okay, okay. Let's not talk about Giovanni but back to Carney?" Lucy said as she tried to calm Allie down.

"After Carny came back the masters kept a Stalker Sphere in range of his house so we could keep an eye on him and his dad, but there was nothing leading up to the….incident. I guess maybe the Choten moved before Carny could get them away to safety, if he even planned that." Ray said only for Gabe to scoff at the idea

"The chance of him having doing that are statically lower than the chances he might take a vow of non-violence. Carnahan Chemicals was active during the _earthquake_ and quite a few employees were injured going by the number of emergency vehicles sent there after the cleanup began…. Oh, Gargle helped me write a program to catch emergency dispatched as a text archive and I'm putting together a few apps for the Temple incase anything like this ever happens again by taping law enforcement communication." Gabe said at the looks they were giving him.

"Gabe!" Ray exclaimed in shock as he processed what he just had heard. _Okay I can see how data mining emergency response will let us find anything reported that might be a Veil beach, but man Gabe and Gargle really knows how to make a lot of interesting tech._ Ray thought as he stared at his friend.

"Dude, seriously?" Lucy asked with a whisper. _I knew Gabe was bright and I've seen some of what Gargle makes but this, man I so do not want to be on his bad side, like ever._ Lucy thought as Gabe rubbed the back of his head.

"Our friend the mad scientist strikes again." Allie said as she just looked at him with a flat stare. _And most people think Gabe's so well behaved, boy what would people think if they if knew the two of us killed a lot of his counter prank tech based ideas. _Allie thought as she sighed in exasperation.

"What, after the new communicator watches the two of us made we had a talk about how to upgrade our capabilities and then it came to finding strange incidents reported to find Creatures or breach. It was quite easy for him to produce the hardware and myself to make the software to tie it together. I've been working on a radio app for my phone for a few months now, but with a little Water code breaking/receiver it was quite easy to add an intercept function. We're still debating how to house and hide it from the network but we have a few ideas to create something that will get by undetected by the general population. And it's read only, no way to transmit at all." Gabe said as he looked at his friends. Ray looked at Gabe and went still as a few thoughts made connections in his head that caused him to go pale.

"Gabe, how difficult was it for Gargle to make that thing?" Ray asked as the others looked at him, something in Ray's voice told them this was important.

"No more difficult than normal really, the hardest part was me designing software that would let Water and human technologies communicate without anyone noticing it really." Gabe said as he looked at Ray as the others looked on and wondered what he was getting at.

"Then what's stopping the Choten or even Carny from calling a Cyber-Lord to make something like that, or even something that could disrupt communications? Or if something like that is already up?" Ray asked as the others paled as they comprehended what he was saying.

"Oh man." Gabe whispered as he realized the sheer scope of what Ray had realized Allie's face went red as Lucy paled.

"Hey Gabe, do you think you and Gargle could make something that could detect something like that?" Ray cut in before Allie could exploded as his friends started to think about how many tech related problems some of their missions could have had.

"I'll talk to Gargle and Master Nadia once she gets back, maybe there's protocol or something the Temple has in case of something like this?" Gab said as the others recovered.

"Just when you think you can rest, you find you can't. You had to say it Ray. Say, how'd you figure that out anyway?" Lucy asked as she looked at him.

"My dad's been training me lately in what he learned by surviving on the _island_ as all those years. He learned to think outside the box to survive and he's been tutoring me and mom in how he did that. I've been a somewhat better student in the school of survival then this place." Ray said as he looked around.

"Yeah about him, how's he been doing transitioning to life back on our side?" Gabe asked as they turned their attention back to their food. _Changing your life style from a vagabond mercenary in the Kaiju Realm to back to a 'normal' life back here gotta be hard on him. Really hope he's doing okay._ Allie thought as she looked at Ray who looked happy.

"The lighthouse along the other side of the bays operator is going to move away in a month, he's someone who knew dad before he was _shipwrecked _and he thought with a few lessons dad might be a perfect fit to take over so when he moves out, we move in and dad has a job that gives us a new house and some room to grow." Ray said with a smirk.

"The Lighthouse near where the boats 'disappeared'? Isn't that place around where the Realm's growth caused that lake near the Bronze Arm Tribe to end up at?" Lucy asked as Ray nodded with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah and dad said he did a few jobs for them in the past so he feels better about that, never ran into Shouter for some reason but he's on good terms with them so if the Choten tries to pay us a visit by the Veil we're safe from that direction at least." Ray said with a smirk.

"I've been doing some tinkering about an alternative energy system for my house, if you guys wouldn't mind helping me set it up I think I could take you off the grid, Gargle's been helping me with my tech skills." Gabe said as he looked at Ray. He frowned when he noticed Ray's eyes hardening and turned around and saw what Ray had.

A few feet away from them Nirṛti tried to keep her face blank as she discreetly channeled a little mana and focused on the table ten feet away and let the wind carry what they were saying to her ears._ Bronze Arm? That's a tribe of Beast-Kin, then I was right, they did know how to conjure the portal to summon creatures. So maybe I could ask them for help, and given what I've seen they do fight with Carny and it doesn't seem to be a mask like…mother's was. But what is the Veil, are they connected to the betrayers? I have a few days so I guess I can talk to my brother for his opinion and does he needs to know others are here._ Nirri thought as she sat and ate and listened with her other ear to Isabella.

"… So I guess that Portia's just fishing for targets since her friend is gone, a way to make herself feel better that shows just how low a life form she really is. So you've got a problem girl?" Isabella asked as Nirrti looked back at her friend.

"Yeah, it's a word problem my brother gave me. There are two different groups with the same secrets who fight with each other and one person who has been watching them that neither group knows about and had a view of them in their mind. After a while the viewer found evidence of a crime that one of the groups will soon do and wonders if the other group should be warned to help stop them. Sadly if the second group is warned then they will know that the watcher knows their secret but if group two isn't warned then innocent people will be hurt." Nirrti said as she quietly ate her food as Isabella sat and thought.

"That sounds like a tough one, that brother of yours, he's really trying to have you grow your morals isn't he. There's a right or wrong answer here?" Isabella asked only to be met with a head shake._ And there it is, this isn't hypothetical. 'Word problem my brother gave me', sure and my brother really is a 'martial arts' teacher! I don't know what you're involved in Nirrti but I'll help you figure it out._ Isabella said as she kept her feelings off her face.

"I have to ask first if the _watcher_ will be affected badly if party two knows she/he knows their secrets." Isabella asked as Nirrti looked at her.

"It's _possible _that yes, the watcher might be affected as the secrets are something that they guard. But if they know why the watcher knows they might not act against h…them." Nirrti said as she stumbled over what to tell her friend.

"Can the watcher stop party one on _her_ own?" Isabella asked as she drank the tea she had brought with her lunch, watching as Nirrti winched as she seemed to think. _If I summon anything it would have to be small enough to not be noticed when I battle them, a Chimera or Skull Mask? If he summons something that would cause a lot of damage then a fast strike against the summonor with help to overwhelm him might be best, so I couldn't do it alone. _ Nirrti thought as she thought about it, never noticing that Isabella had said her and put her head down and ate a bit of her food before looking up.

"I would have to say that it's a maybe at best. The person could try and stop the first party but it's still a maybe." Nirrti would have said more but a commotion caused the two teens to turn and watch what was happening.

Carny smirked as he looked about the courtyard as he noticed the on duty teacher was being lead inside by Nickles and nodded at Driggs who got up and walked away. A few minutes later Carny slammed his fist down on his spoon; the potato salad on it flew through the air and hit Kevin on the side of his face.

"Hey!" Kevin cried when it hit him and he jerked back, bumping into Driggs who spilled the tray he was holding onto Kevin. As Kevin dripped with dropped food he looked up with an open mouth and saw Driggs standing there.

"Hey you made me loss my food dweeb, you'd better get me a new lunch!" Driggs said as he grinned down at Kevin, a smirk on his face. Ray and Allie had seen the potato salad hit Kevin and Ray jumped to his feet and moved towards the altercation.

"The heck I do!" Kevin said as he turned around, his hair dripping with soup. Carny got up and walked to Kevin, grabbing his shoulder and turning him towards him and leaned towards Kevin before whispering sharply.

"What you brave because you went to a teacher wuss? I'm gonna make that decision the worst you've even done, I'll have you running for your mother whenever you see me coming." Carny said as Kevin's eye's widened before a voice caused them to look towards it, Kevin with a look of hope and Carny turned with a scowl on his face.

"You mind backing off Carny, or have you decided to act more apish and communicate with grunts now?" Allie asked as she stood in the middle of Ray and Lucy, Gabe had gone to the side and was recording them on his phone.

"Smellerison, why can't you and the mutt mind your own business? And what, thrift girl's one of you losers now?" Carny asked, Lucy only smirked in response and looked at Carny with a confident stare that shocked him for a few seconds.

"Yeah, I started at the dojo and I so good I was chosen for some _private lessons_. And then I ran into a guy who hurt his _fingers_ during the quake and was able to use what I learned to _help_ him. Want to see what I learned there?" Lucy asked Carny who only stared at her before his glare increased. _Fuck so it was this brat who dueled Fingers with that bug! One against three would always be hard, but one on four!? I gotta get those idiots in on this, but how can I convince dad about it? And if that place really does teach self-defense to use around people then I might have to rethink who I bring in after Friday! _Carny thought as he snarled at them. A motion from Kevin caused Ray's eyes to widen and Carny turned to glare at Driggs who clamped a hand onto Kevin's shoulder and caused him to gulp and Ray's eyes to narrow as Allie moved a foot back as Lucy dropped her arms to her side.

"Let him go Carnahan, now." Ray said with a hard edge to his voice but Carny merely looked back at Ray with a glare. Driggs only smirked until he felt a hand grab his wrist. He looked down and followed the arm grabbing him and saw Giovanni looking at him with a hard look to his eyes.

"I would do what Mr. Okamoto said my friend, unless you want to have a broken arm." Giovanni said gravely. Driggs glared before wincing as he felt the pressure on his hand and let go of Kevin who moved behind Giovanni.

"Why the hell do you but in brat, this ain't your concern!" Carny snapped as Giovanni looked at him and spoke slowly.

"It became my concern when I saw it; it became my concern when you bothered one of my classmates, sir Carnahan. And would you please 'back off' as they say around here? Or do we continue and I show you why I was considered a rather good boxer at my previous school?" Giovanni asked as he locked eyes with Carny. Carny's eyes widened as he looked at Giovanni's eyes before he scoffed and turned away.

"Whatever. This isn't over wuss, you can bet on it." Carny said before he walked off, Driggs following a moment later. Carny led him into the school, the teacher passing him as they moved into the school to meet up with Nickels.

"Why'd we back down Carny, it was just that mutt and the transfer-brat. As long as I coulda grabbed that runt again then…." Driggs began until Carny turned and glared at him. Driggs held his hands up and smiled at Carny before continuing.

"Of course you've probably got a plan to deal with them right boss? What do I know about anything really…." Driggs said shakily before Carny interrupted him.

"Drop it! We'll talk about that when I say we do, got it?" Carny said with a growl as he turned and stalked off._ What the hell was that look in that brat's eyes, he looked normal but for a few seconds he looked like he would kill me like I would kill a bug. Whatever he acts like, he's dangerous, might be something to keep an eye on him for the future, see if I can use him._ Carny thought as he walked, an eager grin forming on his face as he tried to figure how to use him.

"So I would say there is a story about why they bothered you my friend?" Giovanni asked as he handed Kevin a napkin to wipe his face. Kevin went quite as he cleaned up his face and looked up as Gabe joined the others.

"I went to a teacher about how they were treating me." Kevin said after a while. Giovanni merely sighed as he shook his head at this.

"Truly this place is different from my old town, if one had gone to a teacher about it, then at the very least the person who was behind the actions would try to find a new target or transfer lunches." Giovanni said as he looked upwards before he turned and looked at Ray, Gabe, Lucy and Allie.

"Sir Raiden, Lady Lucy and Lady Allison; my compliments on your actions. That was quite a brave and honorable dead to do to help a friend." Giovanni said as he looked at the three of them ending on Allie who looked at her with a strange look in his eyes.

"You were pretty brave yourself to step in, a lot of people wouldn't." Ray said as Giovanni only chuckled.

"My father told me once do not be an observer, instead be one who makes history. I've always took that to mean always be someone who stands up for people instead of just being a watcher. Of course I've made quite a few enemies following my father's words." Giovanni said as he kept his eyes on Allie.

"Well thanks for helping me Giovanni, I really appreciate it." Kevin said before he turned to look at his food.

"Hey Kevin, why don't you eat near us for a while at lunch, Carny won't bother you if we're around. And if he does he'll have to deal with us." Allie said as she put her hand on Kevin's shoulder and lead him back towards their table.

Giovanni watched them walk away and kept his gaze locked on Allie, his eyes followed her as she walked off. _She is everything I thought she would be. I knew that sooner or later I would find her and even more delicious she's an Underhill, the irony is wonderful! But Kevin might be someone to look into, he might be someone I can recruit. _Giovanni thought as he walked back towards his group and smiled at the girls waiting for him.

"You know I think it's pretty good that someone else is standing against Carny, that for all his shit someone else besides Ray and his friends call him on his bull." Isabella said as they watched, after a few second Isabella turned and noticed that Nirrti's eyes were locked on Giovanni as he moved.

"Hey, San Campion to Nirrti, you okay girl?" Isabella asked as she put her hand on Nirrti's shoulder, causing her to jolt and look at her friend.

"Yeah, I fine Isabella, so that the new student Giovanni?" Nirrti asked as Isabella smirked at her.

"Yeah that's him, and I think that's what, the second time he's butted heads with Carny or helps anyone else around here deal with bullies around town." Isabella said as she looked at Nirrti who had a thoughtful look on her face. With a smirk she nudge her friend again, Nirrti looked at Isabella who grinned at her.

"Well, does my friend have any feelings for Giovanni?" Isabella asked with a smirk but Nirrti only scowled at her before speaking.

"Sorry Isabella, I just, there's something _different_ about him, not different interesting but different." Nirrti said as she looked at her friend.

"Oh yeah, I guess I can see that. I have him for Advance Spanish, he seems to be an okay guy, don't get me wrong but where ever he came from it was probably a lot more free on us handling our own affairs. He seems a bit more mature then a lot of the boys around here, might be why girls seem to flock to him, but he had the bad luck to came to school a day before the quake hit, so there's that. And he signed up for the back sale right away so….." As Isabella continued Nirrti looked at back, her thoughts racing. _I know I saw a string of mana hit Kevin that came from Giovanni, but was it deliberate or not I can't say. But that doesn't mean he has anything to do with mom right?_ Nirrti though as she listened with one ear to her friend and kept her eyes on Giovanni as he sat back down.

Hector pulled back on Draglide's reins and smiled a little when he felt Nadia's arms tighten around him as she buried her head into her back.

"Its fine Nadia, we're just landing." Hector said with a laugh as Draglide landed on the small island in the Water Cavitation. Hector turned and smiled at Nadia as she raised her head and meet her scowl.

"You enjoyed this flight more then you should have." She said as she slipped off the back of the Attack Raptor as Hector laughed. _After a month of silence from him we have no idea where he might be and with what paths the order charted over the years worthless because of the way the Kaiju Realm has expanded well, a trip to chart a path to an isolated outpost like the one at the Dragon's Triangle is needed and Nadia had to go since it's the path would be over the Water Realm and I wouldn't let her go alone when the Choten could be lying in wait. Still this trip was fun. _Hector said as he hopped off Draglide and rubbed its chin, pulling a piece of bacon out of his pack and throwing it in front of Draglide who snapped it up and gave off a happy growl.

"Thank you for the ride my friend, I'll be calling on either later today or tomorrow unless you want to go Earth side with us, I have more bacon." Hector said as Draglide growled and Nadia looked on with her usual stare.

"Taking after Raiden Hector?" Nadia asked as she brought a clear blue gem out of her pocket and looked about before she dropped it in shock as she stared blankly into space.

"Nadia, what's wrong?" Hector asked causing Nadia to blush before she reached down and picked up her dropped gemstone, Nadia didn't say anything but looked back through the gemstone for a few seconds more before she spoke.

"Well we're at the outpost but you're going to want to see this." Nadia said robotically as she passed the gemstone to Hector who looked through it and widened his eyes at what he was seeing before he showed it Draglide who butted its head against Hector's shoulder before showing it to the Attack Raptor whose legs failed it.

"Was that a giant lizard standing guard at the harbor of the island?" Hector asked as he looked at Nadia who nodded robotically.

"Yes, yes it was. Did you notice it wasn't moving at all?" Nadia said as she activated her gauntlet and started the Veil Breach Kata as Hector looked at Draglide who only whimpered slightly causing Hector to smile at it.

"So you want to go back home amigo? I'll let you know what happens, thank you for carrying us." Hector said before he dismissed the Attack Raptor.

"I believe that Kenji has some explaining to do." Nadia said as the she formed the Veil Breach formed and they then walked through it, coming out in a shadow that caused the two to look up at a giant green reptilian biped with claws and with a line of horns going down its back from its head to its tail that stands beside the water near a dock as gulls rest on it.

"I don't know if I'm shocked or not. How'd you think he got something like that, water tech or did he construct it here?" Hector asked as he looked up, shielding his eyes with his gauntlet hand.

"If he didn't then what I want to know is how he got it here, I think we would have heard about any news like it." Nadia said as she watched birds land on it, noticing a nest on one of the claws. A sound behind them caused the two of them to turn to see a Japanese man in an orange t-shirt and white shorts carrying a fishing rod and a bucket, a small sheepish smile on his face.

"Actually Kenji made that in his civilian job years ago and called it here with my new remote controlled shades and it was on the news, for a given value of news. It has been some time Master Nadia, Master Hector." Kenji said as he bowed to them, his gear still in his hand.

"Kenji-san, how are you? And you said you made this as a civilian?" Nadia asked as she and Hector looked at him as he chuckled.

"Oh yes, it was for _Return of the Atomic Monsters_ back when Kenji made props for movies. The movie this was meant for was scrapped and it was put into storage. Come back to my house, I have a few spare chairs set up and I caught a few fish that I'm sure you'll enjoy for a meal and you can tell me how to use the Kaiju Realm to get back to the main Temple." Kenji said as he turned and walked up a hill towards a forest path, Hector and Nadia following behind.

"Why was the movie scraped if I may ask, budge issues, writer or actor drama?" Nadia asked as they followed Kenji who looked back with a frown on his face.

"It was the ending; my monster was supposed to attack a cave of Fish-Bats for an action packed climax." Kenji said as he hung his head low as he walked off. _Kenji's monster would have been a star! If only they had had a better ending before I built it!_ Kenji thought as he led the way towards his house.

"Fish-Bats? What were those supposed to be?" Hector asked as he shot a hopeless look at Nadia who only looked as confused as he was.

"No one knew, and that's why it was scrapped!" Kenji exclaimed before he started to mutter under his breath about lazy writers, spineless directors and stupid people in general as Hector shot a sheepish smile at Nadia who only smiled back at him before she spoke up.

"So how has it been around here, have you been able to deal with any breeches or creatures swiftly, any real problems?" Nadia asked as they walked. Kenji just chuckled and looked a little sheepish.

"As you know I have mana sensors to track breeches and creatures locally, it's what we used before the switch over to Battle Spheres. And well when they didn't register anything so I posted a video, surprised you never heard about it." Kenji said as he looked at them.

"About what?" Hector asked as he looked sternly at Kenji who looked chastised.

"How aliens stole my water tank, but it was really giant prehistoric hermit crabs." Kenji said, stopping and turning when he heard the two had stopped and saw them both looking at him with opened mouths and shocked faces.

"Giant. Prehistoric. Hermit. Crabs." Nadia said as Kenji started to laugh a little.

A few minutes later Kenji put a pot of tea as Nadia and sat down on stools Kenji had brought out of a closet.

"My apologies Masters, but as I'm alone most of the time I only needed the one chair for a while, it's a bit different now that I have friends who stop by where ever they're in the area." Kenji said as he looked about as before he sat down.

"Do these friends live on a nearby island?" Nadia asked only for Kenji to smile.

"No a family of two scientist who study and travel the ocean and their two children, we met after I post the video. Anyhow what happened to the lay lines, they just went down all over and the messages that I received said for the Order to be on the lookout for Nigel Brightmore and former Master Tiera, Nigel I can understood but isn't Tiera dead?" Kenji asked as Hector sighed and looked at him.

"Our apologies but given how popular she was we decided that we should keep her status quite. She survived what happened in the Fire Realm all those years ago, sadly it seems she was in a relationship with the Choten and joined up with him. As for Nigel, he turned on them when they invade San Campion with an evolved army of Creatures and tried to take out the Ley-Line to keep them from using them to attack well, everywhere." Hector said, causing Kenji to bow his head and mutter softly to himself. Nadia winced when she remembered Kenji had trained alongside Nigel and they had been friends in their younger days.

"Oh Nigel you order obsessive fool, I knew sooner or later you would turn against August once you saw what he was truly up to. So what happed then, why the lookout, are the two of them still on this side?" Kenji asked but stopped at the look Nadia had on her face.

"As for the message, after Nigel turned again he and Tiera had a duel **IN** the departure room and both fell into the ley-lines as the chamber collapsed." Nadia said dryly as Kenji stated at her, going pale as he did so. Nadia felt bad about what they had told Kenji, the horror stories about Ley-Line travel being interrupted mid-way was the stuff of nightmares for the Order, one of the things newcomers were told as hazing and to bring them farther into the order._ And given what stories they tell, from the many things that might have happened to him I don't know what I would hope for._ Nadia thought as she watched Kenji.

"I'll keep my eye out but what about you, will you be going back by Creature displacement or will you stay here for the night, the weather is supposed to be fine, I make a mean stew and last I heard from my friends they were heading towards the north pole so we don't need to worry about them stopping by." Kenji asked as color returned to his face. Hector looked at Nadia who smiled back before he turned back to Kenji.

"I think we'll take you up on a meal and you can tell us all about those crabs if you don't mind Kenji." Hector said as he relaxed and Kenji smiled.

"Well it all started at night while I was reading one of my favorite books when I hear this unearthly moan, why I haven't heard such since I fought against those Zombies months earlier when they tried to use the Water Realm to breach the Veil." Kenji began as he got up and walked towards his stove.

"Really Allie, what do you have against Giovanni, he seems like an okay guy." Gabe said as he, Allie, Lucy and Ray walked along the sidewalk towards the dojo. School had let out and they were all heading towards the temple, ready to do their part as members of the Order.

"I can't describe it Gabe, he just feels slimy okay? I don't know why but that's what he makes me feel every time I see him." Allie said as Ray looked over his shoulder as they moved. Lucy just looked at Allie and shook her head as they moved towards the Dojo. Ray reached the doors first and turned and looked at Allie and the others before

"I can't help you with what your instincts are telling you Allie. Some people you just can't stand I guess. But if he doesn't do anything, then let's leave him alone. Come on, another day of cleanup awaits us, so what do you want today; the wilderness, the junk yards or the industrial parks?" Ray asked as he opened the door for the others.

A few minutes later they walked down the temple's grand staircase and looked about, noting some of the other students moving about here and there, Master Isao was standing with Master Jaha conversing softly. As they walked towards them they were able to overhear the end.

"….so then you have no idea at all?" Isao asked with a disappointed air about him.

"No and the few inquiries that we made after it ended amounted to nothing." Jaha looked like she would continue but her eyes noticed them and she gestured with her head. Isao turned and saw them walking towards them and smiled.

"Ahh there you are. Now recent intelligence has point out a hole in our defense that you four are going to close." Isao said as he looked at them. Ray looked at his uncle and wondered if his talk with Isao had sparked the

"So where are we going, the forest or the industrial park?" Allie asked as Jaha looked at her and chuckled as she looked over Allie. _Isao was right, they could use a break. Perhaps I should chaperon this and have a few talks with them about releasing stress through breathing exercises._ Jaha thought before shaking her head and deciding not to.

"When you found the spell of Evolution it raised a few concerns, concerns that events made us table until now. The mission for all four of you is to investigate every part of the temple, practically any places that look like no one has been through there in a sometime. You may summon the Reef Prince to help you make anything you think you might need to stay safe, Toji came back with a load of metal from the salvage yard recently and set up the tech room as it is. Once all of you are ready; you can start with **that** hallway." Jaha said as she pointed towards a statue. Ray looked at it in wonder for a few seconds before turning back towards Jaha who looked away with a blush.

"Master Jaha, what hallway?" Lucy asked as she tried to remember if the others had ever moved around any of the statues.

"According to an old map that was falling apart there is a door behind the statue of the Founding Master of Nature, its old maybe that door was sealed since the Veil was formed. Master Kimora summoned Shouter and he helped us break open the wall and revealed the passage." Master Jaha said before Isao stepped forward.

"Keep in mind that the nature of this task is that you are to come back and tell us what you find. Raiden, I need to talk with you for a few minutes while your friends get ready." Isao said as he started to walk towards the stairs to the War Room , ignoring the look Jaha shot him before walking after him. Ray turned to his friends and looked at them before shrugging and walking towards his uncle.

"So Ray's gone; any ideas Gabe?" Allie asked as she started to lead the way towards a place the masters had set aside for 'homemade' Water tech. Gabe looked up from putting and activating his Gauntlet and smirked.

"Reef Prince Glu-urrgle!" Gabe proclaimed as a symbol of the Water Civilization appeared and Gargle landed on the ground before them.

"G-Gabriel, what's up my dude, dueling practice?" Gargle asked as it eye smiled at them as it looked around.

"Not today Gargle. We're going to investigate the forgotten sections of the temple, and to do it safely we need you to make something to check if the floors safe to walk on." Gabe said as Gargle looked at her before turning and looking at the door Gabe opened to reveal the salvage Master Toji had brought back. Gargle hopped into the room and looked over the things, he grabbed a remote controller and looked over the rest of the items and looked back at them

"EZ 2 do!" Gargle said with an eye smile as he took out a Water-Tech sphere to create the tech it need.

Ray looked at his friends watch Gargle move into the room and turned back to his uncle and Master Jaha.

"Uncle Isao, what's up?" Ray asked as he noticed the looks the two of them were giving each other. Isao shot look at who Jaha sighed and looked away before Isao looked towards his nephew before speaking.

"The others weren't aware that Nigel cast the spell to evolve Tiera's dragon. And I asked a few questions that led to answers…that raised more questions then they answered." Isao said as Ray looked at Jaha and tried to think about what Isao meant

"What are you…." Ray began before Jaha interrupted him.

"It's an issue that we're looking into and the other Masters decided to keep close while we investigate." Jaha said as she looked at Ray. Ray looked back at her and she was felt a sense of pride that he stayed quite._ Maybe he's finally learned to look at the distance before he leaps, it would keep him alive a lot longer, of course I hope he doesn't lose his sense of …. His drive really, that is often the difference between a Master or a normal member of the order._ Jaha thought

"I called you here to ask you to make sure you and your friend's keep an eye out for anything that seems…wrong during your exploration.We don't know if the Choten left any surprises when he left or if anyone else did when the passage was closed up. What I'm saying is….be careful." Isao said to Ray before his nephew nodded and he turned and ran towards his friends. Isao watched him go and heard a light chuckle from Jaha behind him.

"That was unexpected of you _Master_ Isao." Jaha said as he turned back to her, a frown on his face.

"After all I've heard those three have done, going with Masters Kimora and Master Chavez on the last Siphon, jumping head first against a Thunder Guardian and he lost his sight, going to the Water Civilization to get his memories back, I thought I would advise him to have some caution." Isao said as Jaha chuckled at him. She watched the door as two remote controlled helicopters with blue Water tech lines on them came out ahead of the teens, Allie and Ray holding a controller with a screen on it as the four friends walked after the helicopters and past the statue.

"Go on Isao, Kimora switched with me and Toji is watching the War Room so I'll wait here if they need help, I have a receiver unit Gabriel and the Reef Prince made to keep an ear open and I have a nice book I've been saving to kill time in case nothing happens, so go and make the last patrol until we return to normal operations _orderly_." Jaha said as Isao sighed and walked off towards the Dojo entrance where the acolytes he would be taking were waiting for him.

Ray looked back and frowned as he tried to make sense of what the Master were looking into. The way Master Jaha had reacted to what Isao said told him that what the Masters were looking into was important. As he walked absentmindedly controlling the helicopter which Gargle had added ground penetrating radar to let them see how sturdy the floor, he looked up when he finally realized that he had driving his helicopter into a wall when Allie put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up to the others looking at him with concern as Gabe held the other copter.

"Hey what did your uncle want Ray, besides being careful?" Allie asked as Gargle fused over Ray's copter as Ray sighed and looked around. He had flown the helicopter into a wall that formed a T split with the way they had come the tail. Ray looked left and then right before turning back to the others.

"Sorry guys, Uncle Isao just said a question I had last night gave him a few questions to ask the Masters and well." Ray said with a shrug as Gargle put the helicopter down and huffed at Ray.

"NXT tym fly, kEp eyes on sky." Gargle said as Ray scratched his head and looked bashful.

"You said he said to be careful Ray, maybe you should pay more attention to this." Gabe chided before Allie shot him a glare. Lucy looked between the three and gained a thoughtful look as she turned to Ray.

"What'd you ask him about anyway?" Lucy asked what was on her mind as Gabe and Allie looked up, even Gargle interested as they waited for Ray's answer.

"How the Choten turned the Spell of Evolution into a serum." Ray said as the others looked at him and Gargle eyes slowly moved forward and backwards as they absorbed what he said.

"That's something to think about. So, give me a number guys, one to ten!" Allie said suddenly, the others.

"One." "Two." "Six." Ray, Gabe and Lucy said at the same time only for Allie to smirk and pass the controller she was using to Gabe.

"Mine's Nine. Ray and I'll go one way you guys go the other, we'll use the watches if we run into anything." Allie said as she moved down the hallway to the right, Ray jolted and sent the helicopter over her head before following after her, moving just as fast.

"Allie wait up, Gargle made these things so we don't cause the hallway to cave in!" Ray called out as he moved after her. Lucy watched as he and Allie walked off and turned to Gabe as he put the copter in his hands down with a deadpan look on her face

"Soooo, what do you think the odds are one of us is going to run into something the others will need to save the others from like in horror movies?" Lucy asked before she directed the copter down the left hallway as Gabe sighed.

"ChaNc 100%, bt tek suport redE 2 roL!" Gargle said causing Gabe to sigh again before Lucy started off, Gabe and Gargle following behind her.

"Seriously Ray, are you okay? You're usually more on the ball." Allie asked as she followed after Ray, her eyes wandering around as she looked about the hallway, trying to find anything that might

"Yeah, just Uncle Isao let slip the Masters are investigating something connected to the Choten and they're keeping it close to their chests, trying to figure out what it was." Ray said as Allie nodded before she sighed. _Oh Ray. I know that scum has to be stopped but you can't go Captain Ahab on us again, you just can't._ Allie thought as she put a hand on Ray's shoulder, causing him to look at her.

"Ray, I doubt that he'll 'go away and live quietly', but you can't go tunnel vision on that bastard, you gotta live in the moment and pay attention to what's happening now." Allie said softly as Ray turned to look at the screen on the controller, listening to what she was saying. _She's right, I can't let that happen to me again, I have to pay attention to what happening around me, I can't let myself be tricked again by focusing on one thing over all others and…. _Ray thought as he moved forward with Allie following, he suddenly stopped and threw his arm across Allie's path, causing her to stop in her tracks. She looked down at the monitor on the controller and saw a void right in front of her under the floor. She looked at the ground in front of them and saw nothing that would indicate something was wrong with it. She looked down the hallway and noticed a side passage that she nudged Ray and gestured towards it when Ray turned to her.

"Think that a staircase to a lower level?" Allie asked as she put her foot softly on the patch with something under it. Ray looked at the floor and pressed a few buttons on the controller and saw what was under the helicopter in full color and piloted through the passage and saw stairs. Bringing the helicopter back towards the hallway they were in Ray turned to Allie.

"Yeah, it definitely goes down. So stay or go down?" Ray asked as he looked at Allie who looked down the hallway and noticed it end a few meters down in a sharp turn.

"Let's make it to the turn and decide there, better call Gabe and the others if we go down thou." Allie said as she walked towards the turn, Ray following and moving the copter towards the turn. Ray looked around as they moved and noticed a part of the wall was pushed out compared to the rest.

"Hey Allie, hold this." Ray said as he lands the copter before he handed the controller to her. She looked at him as he started to rub the dust off the wall and revealed a block sticking out of the wall with two groups of symbols on it, group one a sword, shield and a hammer with an arrow under it pointing down the hall towards the turn and the other a stranger circle with… something in it with an arrow pointing down under it.

Ray moved his other hand towards the watch and pressed a button on it as he brought it close to his mouth.

"Ray here, I found a block that's set partly into the wall of the passage at eye level, it's got two sets of symbols on it, each has an arrow pointing in different directions for each group, copy?" Ray said as Allie moved to look at the block.

"This Gabe, we're at some kind of two way intersection. We just found a block a few seconds ago but ours has three groupings, two of them seem to point in the same general direction. Is one of yours a circle with something in it above an arrow pointing down?" Gabe's voice asked through the watch as Ray shot a look at Allie who looked back towards the stairs as she landed the copter.

"Yeah same here, think it might be the same room? It'll be big if it is." Ray said as Allie removed her gauntlet from her pocket and put it on her free hand and looked around the corner and turned back to him.

"There's just one door ahead about ten-fifteen feet or so Ray." Allie said as she rejoined him.

"Ray, the symbol with the arrow pointing the same way the circle seems to be is a book, we're going to check it out and then try the area downstairs, what about you two?" Gabe voice asked as Ray turned to Allie who gestured towards the turn. Ray nodded at her and spoke into his watch.

"Gabe, we're going to check out the end of the passageway and the door at its end and we'll check out the circle after, with luck we're just going to find a dueling field." Ray said as he followed Allie who had gone around the corner as soon as he started to speak. Shaking his head he moved after her, as he turned the corner he saw her pulling on a ring on the door and soon reached her.

"Can't open it Allie?" Ray asked before Allie jumped back a bit and looked away from him, a blush on her face.

"It's locked. Got any idea how to open it?" Allie asked Ray as he moved closer to the door and looked over, noticing two more blocks on both side of the door. He cleaned off the right side and saw the same symbols on the block behind them and then cleaned off the other side and saw the symbol of the Order raised off the block. As he looked at it he felt drawn to it, something about it called to him and without thinking he put on his gauntlet and activated it before he put it on the symbol and felt a drain form his mana. He pulled on the ring on the door and it opened with a creak causing Allie to let out a gasp as she realized what he had done.

"The door was unlocked with mana, what the heck is behind it?" Allie asked as Ray smirked at her

"Let's find out." Ray said as he moved towards the doorway, Allie following behind him with her own gauntlet activating as she moved after him into the room.

Gabe moved forward as Lucy and Gargle followed him, Gargle muttering to himself in that Cyberlord code of his, a habit Gabe had learned Gargle had to store his thoughts for later review. The two of them had been using the down time lately to prepare, Gabe had been learning from Gargle about Water tech codes and tech and the others were trying to better themselves. Lucy was spending a lot of time in the Dojo helping out the civilian lessons and Dueling other students and had a good win/loss record going for her and Allie had been training her body by studying parkour and Ray had mention he had been reading books on military tactics besides the training his father was given him. _Still, after the evo bomb I can't blame anyone for using the down time to try_ _and get stronger, I really can't. When I thought Gargle was dead because of something I had him do, I just can't….we have to be stronger for the next time so that won't ever happen for real._ Gabe thought as they reached a door with two raised block sticking out of the wall next to it level with a ring on the door, the passage itself continuing on but the light crystals in the ceiling started to die after about ten feet and at thirty feet there was only darkness.

"Gonna need some light if we go into that." Lucy said as she looked down at the controller and Gargle tapped his fingers together as he listened to her remarks, jolting down thoughts as he watched Gabe look over the door and cleared the dust from the right block and saw the symbol they had been followed, a book. Gabe moved his gauntlet covered hand over the other block and felt something from it a, a spark of mana jumped from his hand to the door and he looked at it in shock.

"Locks that only unlock when someone uses mana, that's possible? I've never even read about something like this in any of the books on the Order's history." Gabe said as Lucy looked at the stone and then the other one and looked at Gabe.

"If they had something like that, what happened to stop using it?" Lucy asked as Gabe looked worried at what they had found.

"Let's see what's in here….OH WOW!" Gabe exclaimed as they walked into the room and saw rows and rows of books, two balconies with a spiral staircase leading from the floor. A large circular table was at the center below the light crystal and a bench sat against the far wall. Lucy moved towards a bookcase and pulled one book at random and looked at the letters on it and wasn't able to understand them, she couldn't even identify what culture there were from. She noticed a rock the same color as the blocks outside.

"What are these?" Lucy asked as she looked at it over until she saw the stone on the front cover._ Could it be mana locked like the door, how would that even be possible? _Lucy thought as she put on her gauntlet and activated it without Gabe noticing, all his attention was on a book he had taken down.

"Hey what are these? A code, a lost language from the War?" Gabe said as Lucy looked at him, and shook her head and decided to check out if she was right.

"There's a stone on the front cover like from the door, I'm putting my gauntlet on it." Lucy said as Gabe and Gargle turned to her.

"Lucy, Wait!" Gabe cried as Lucy put her hand on the stone. Gabe and Gargle ran at her as her eyes gained a white glow and staggered back as she dropped the book as Gabe reached her.

"Lucy, are you okay?!" Gabe demanded as she shook her head. _That was so weird; I felt like something drained me and gave me the worst head cold, it was like when I the Mystic helped me cast that spell. _Lucy thought as Gabe and Gargle looked at her.

"What were you thinking, that thing is totally unknown, were you even….!" Gabe said as he looked at her. Lucy winced as she put a hand on her head and looked at the book and reached down and grabbed it and brought towards her face. She opened the book and stared at the words, they were still in that unknown code but she could _read it _now. Gabe looked at her and was going to say something before Lucy spoke up.

"That stone, it took some of my mana from me, but I can read the code now." Lucy said as she flipped some pages. _Spell of Evolution, wait this says that….then that means!_ Lucy thought as she put the book into her backpack.

"Lucy, why are you brining that back with you?" Gabe asked as Lucy looked at him as Gargle moved off to investigate the rest of the room.

"Gabe this explain everything about the Spell of Evolution and how it works! And if I understanding it right, it tells just what the Choten's serum does to any creature he uses it on, not how it works but why and why those evolution mistakes he showed Ray!" Lucy said as Gabe stared at her in shock. _If she's right then this might be a game changer, and it could help us find a counter to it._ Gabe thought before he heard a commotion from Gargle.

"Hey, found the webmaster's hompage & manual!" Gargle cried out as he returned to the two of them carrying a book in his hands. Lucy looked at the book and wasn't able to read anything from on the cover. Looking at the other books she frowned before turning back to Gabe.

"I can't read that, I can only read that book. Maybe the stone anchors a spell to the each individual book, making it unreadable?" Lucy said as Gabe looked at the book and turned to Gargle.

"Where'd you find this Gargle?" Gabe asked as Gargle eye grinned at them.

"Found Ovr ther!" Gargle said as he pointed towards the large table. Gabe walked over with Lucy behind him and saw a desk beside a doorway with a stone block in the wall at head height. Gabe put the book into his bag and walked towards the door with Lucy and Gargle followed him. Gabe reached the door and saw a staircase leading downward. He cleared dust from the block and saw the circle symbol and the arrow pointing downward.

"That's the same symbol Ray and Allie said they found right, how big is this thing?" Lucy asked as the three of them looked downwards.

"Major bandwidth, major homepage?" Gargle asked as he stared into the shadows of the stairs as Gabe brought his watch to his mouth.

"Gabe to Ray, we've found a library with some strange books, feed them some mana and you can read them despite what it looks like. We also found a…. mana lock for lack of a better term on the door to this place and we're heading down a staircase to find out what the circle symbol is, what about you guys?" Gabe asked into his watch.

"Ray here, we've found some kind of forge and a lot of weapons and another mana lock." Ray said as he picked up a short sword. Allie looked down a row with the Darkness Civilization symbol on it. She saw knives, whips and swords. Ray had gone to an aisle with the Fire Civilization symbol and found swords, axes and armored gauntlets. Ray moved towards an anvil and saw two swords in sheaths lying against the wall next to a furnace. He walked towards them and picked them up and looked them over, feeling some kind of connection to them. _I don't know what that was but this feels right, maybe I should look into seeing if the Order has any swordsmanship classes._ Ray thought as he held the swords in his hands, not noticing the white glow that flared softly from hexagon gems in the hilts.

Allie looked over the weapons and felt _something_ from them as she moved along the aisle until she reached a black whip with a shiny black handle with a black gem on the end of the handle and a cracker that seemed to be made of a blackish purple leather of some kind above a plaque that read 'Night Flayer'. She picked it up never noticed a black glow from the hexagon gem.

"How old do you think this place is, I mean the dust is only on the outside but inside it's clean." Allie remarked as she walked over with the whip still in hand. Ray looked up from the swords and noticed a stone desk with a large book near the remains of a bed frame.

"Long enough for that to fall apart at least." Ray said as he put the swords down and moved towards the desk, Allie following with her eyes as he reached the desk and picked up the book and walked back to her. Looking down they saw a strange alphabet and a small black rock set into the cover.

"Didn't Gabe say that they found books like this, that all you had to do was feed it some mana and you could understand it?" Allie asked as Ray looked at the book before he put his hand on the stone before Allie could react. Allie grabbed him when he started to stumble and scowled at him.

"Ray I thought I said not to run ahead without looking!" Allie scolded as Ray looked at her bashfully before turning to the book and opening it up to the first page and started to read what was written in it.

"Hey listen to this! 'I am the last master of the Spell Forge, I write this so that the arts we have will not be lost not matter the outcome of our Rebellion. To all that find this book, if you are a friend of the Creatures, then I must warn you. But if you are their conqueror then I hope some of your party went to the Portal Room and awoke…. Gabe, Lucy!" Ray cried as he dropped the book and reached for his watch.

"GABE, LUCY! ABORT, THAT ROOM IS BOOBY TRAPPED, GET OUT OF THERE!" Ray bellowed into his watch as Allie gasped. _ Of course a room would be booby trapped; we can't go on a simple search without some danger because of course we can't! _Allie thought as she waited with Ray for a reply.

"Trapped? What do you mean…GABE BEHIND YOU MOVE!" Lucy voice said before a crash and a cry from Gabe came over the watch before it went silent a second before a crash echoed off the halls. Allie ran out of the room with the whip trailing behind her and Ray dropped the book and picked up the swords, something telling him they would help.

Master Jaha had looked up when she heard them mention locks that opened with mana, an old memory of when M had trained her trickling back to her, something that she mentioned in passing when they had put a new piece into the collection, Jaha had asked about a stone block all alone. _They split up; well that's not too bad but maybe I should have a talk with them about habits not to get into, but locks that open with mana, I know Megaria told me about something like that once. What was it she said, that it was spoils of war, something that her brother helped him win years before I met her, it was something to do with security, what did she say….oh yes now I remember; 'A Mana lock is perfect because when it's activated it takes a just bit of mana opens the lock and then the rest is sent to'…._ Jaha shot to her feet and activated her gauntlet and hurriedly did a summoning kata.

"Black Feather of Shadow Abyss! TOJI GET OVER HERE AND GUARD THE PASSAGE NOW!" She called out before she ran behind the statue, not even waiting for a reply from him as she ran; running down the hallway with her creature following behind her as she moved faster than her age would let people think she could move. As she ran she cursed herself for not telling them to call back to her when they split up, never did she think that the hallway would have been built like that.

"Of course something from when I was with Megaria would be a part of a sealed portion of the temple that those three were sent into, why didn't I think to go with them. 'A safe chore to dust out a few old cobwebs, a way to kill time and make sure this place is safe.' Oh I am never going to tempt fate ever again with these three." Jaha said as she dashed down the hallway, stopping at the same intersection the teens had split up at. _Wait Jaha the kids are strong and they have survived worse then something like this be calm and think. Gabriel would have done this logically….But Raiden and Allison would have used their instincts to decide what way to go. Left or right, I have to make a choice and pray I get there in time to help them._ Jaha thought as she looked about and tried to find some sign that showed which way they went.

"GABE, LUCY! ABORT, THAT ROOM IS BOOBY TRAPPED, GET OUT OF THERE!" Ray's voice came over her monitor and she made a decision and ran down the left passage way, hoping she would find the signs that they had found and make it there swiftly.

"Trapped? What do you mean…GABE BEHIND YOU MOVE!" Lucy voice said over the receiver as Jaha ran to the right. _After this a Master is going with anyone who explores any part of this place if I have to handcuff them together myself._ Jaha thought as she ran on, Black Feather following behind her.

Gabe stumbled backwards as the shield his gauntlet generated held against the fists of the ten foot tall stone statue as it stared down at him with blue gem eyes. _Of course there's a security system, I thought this place was important._ Gabe thought as the last few minutes played over in his head. They had come into a room that was as large as the Temple's entrance chamber with four Egyptian like statues with headdress and gems set in the arms and chest sitting along the wall before a twenty foot tall freestanding stone circle with an 'altar' with a large book on it. He had been moving towards the book when Ray's voice had come over their watches and instants had Gabe started to scream at him, prompting him to activate his Gauntlet and a second later the 'statue' closest to him had tried to smash him into the floor! As he looked around the room he saw the other three statues standing upright and two of them moved to stand before the altar as the other moved towards him.

Lucy had been standing behind him while she looked about the room, hoping to find something to tell the purpose of this place when Ray's message came over, turning she had seen the statue start to move and had called out to Gabe, activating her own gauntlet as she did so and now only looked as the two statues converged on him. _I can't let Gabe handle this alone, but I can't summon Broadsword Butterfly, those things look to sturdy then that leaves Skull Cutter, but how….the spell, that could change this!_ Lucy thought before she acted.

"Skull Cutter!" Lucy said as she summoned the Darkness creature as the other statue looked towards her and changed course. Gabe moved backwards trying to get some range so he could summon something else while he still had enough mana when he heard Lucy's summoning.

"Lucy what were you thinking, how is Skull Cutter going to stop these things?!" Gabe asked as Gargle cowered in Gabe's bag.

"Like this! Skull Cutter; Evolve!" Lucy said as she finished the spell and shot it at the Darkness Creature. _Bigger and another blade! _Lucy thought as the spell connected with Skull Cutter and its body started to glow and grow until it was as tall as the statues, its cape covering its entire body. It threw open its cloak and showed that it had gained another pair of arms below its starting ones and the blade had increased to reach its waist and its other top arm had turned into a mirror of the blade arm while it's head had gained saber fangs in its mouth.

"CRRAAA!" Skull Cutter screeched as it charged at the statue and sliced at it with its right blade, giving the thing a slash across its chest that didn't even face the statue. It raised an arm and Skull Cutter slammed its right hand into the inner part, send cracks through the arm until a glow from its chest 'healed' them.

"Oh man, these things can heal themselves, how the heck do we get out of here!?" Gabe asked as he finally made it far enough away to do a summoning. _How did she do that, and what should I summon, I don't think I have enough mana for something to out muscle them, they probably don't have wills so that limits me, wait, limits, that could work!_ Gabe thought before he did the kata and called out.

"Three-Eyed Dragonfly!" Gabe bellowed as it flew out the symbol of Nature. As it hovered Gabe willed it to action. It flew at the statue coming at him and spat webbing at its legs darted away when it tried to hit Three-Eyed. Gab spared a glance at the evolved Skull Cutter as Lucy directed her creature at the statue coming at the two of them.

"Lucy, how the heck did you evolve Skull Cuter into that?" Gabe asked as he sent his Three-Eyed upwards and tried to think about what to do next as the statue tried to untangle itself. He observed the statue and notice that it moved robotically and didn't react to any damage it took. _So no sense of self but it knows when something is wrong, and the other one is prioritizing Skull Cutter above Lucy, that's interesting. It's not like Eartheaters or Stompers, the first have a sense of self and the second have someone directing them but these, what could be driving these things?_ Gabe wondered as he looked at the statues attacking Lucy and him

"You have to think about how you want the creature hit to evolve, focus it, that's the secret the book told me, our mana supercharges the creatures and can add to its natural evolution!" Lucy called as Skull Cutter punched the statue it was battling, sending it backwards as Lucy kept an eye on the other two statues.

Gabe looked at Three-Eyed Dragonfly and then at the statue they were fighting and winced when he saw it start to tear away the webbing. _Focus the evolution, supercharge the mana? Then that means…. Later for now we've got to handle this. _Gabe thought as he looked Three-Eyed Dragonfly and made a choice.

"Three-Eyed Dragonfly, Evolve!" Gabe said as he cast the spell at his creature. _Punching claws, punching claws! _Gabe thought as he prayed the spell would work as Lucy said it did. As Three-Eyed Dragonfly started to glow, below its wings it gained a limb on both sides of its body that ended in a chitin covered fist that and it increased in size and gained another pair of wings behind the first while its tail gained a spike between the claws. As Three-Eyed Dragonfly circled back around Gabe noticed that it had gained a black spike behind its third eye out of its line of sight and it hovered before it looked at the walls. Gabe followed its gaze and paled when he saw all around the room about fifteen feet up were five foot tall statues holding spears and shield with crystals on their chests the same as the mobile ones attacking them.

"Lucy, look up!" Gabe called out as he started to back away as Three-Eyed Dragonfly circled around aimed its tail at the statue and shot a blast of energy at the statue, only for it to raise its right arm and form an energy circle that blocked the blot. _That spike must be what Lucy meant about natural Evolution, but what could that spike on its head be for, something about it….Later. The smaller ones there has to be at least fifty of them up there, maybe more. But why aren't they moving, are they waiting for us to trigger them somehow? But what, if those things are like the big one then they are waiting for a signal then what could it be, whats different about them compared to the big…. oh no, Lucy!_ Gabe thought as he looked at Skull Cutter and paled when he saw it slam a fist into the statue's chest and it exploded, sending Skull Cutter flying backwards and fragments of its body falling around them as Gabe looked up and paled when he saw ten of the smaller statues stand up from the chairs they were sitting in and drop to the floor. As eight of them moved towards Gabe and Lucy the other two moved toward the pedestal, Gabe watched this as the giant statue finally broke free of the webbing and start moving towards Gabe.

Three-Eyed flew over the smaller statues and pierced the head of one of them, only for it to grab Three-Eyed and try to bring it down before its arms were torn off its body by Three-Eye's new hands before it pierced the central crystal with its tail spike. Gabe moved backwards and looked about, seeing Skull Cutter move towards them at a dash and jump at the larger statue.

"NO, target the smaller ones, if the big ones are destroyed then the smaller ones wake up!" Gabe cried out, but Lucy was unable to stop Skull Cutter's momentum before it hit the crystal on the larger statue's chest and shattered it before it rode the statue to the ground and jumped away before the smaller ones could swarm it. Gabe looked up and paled when _twenty _of the smaller statues dropped to the floor, four of them going towards the grouping by the pedestal while four moved to join the ones attacking them while the others split into two groups of six, each moving towards a side and Gabe paled further as he saw them move towards what had to be stairs leading upwards.

"Squeaky get them!" A voice cried as a black wolf with horns jumped at the group of statues moving towards the right side, bringing one down and jumping away before another could gorge its side. Gabe turned and grinned when he saw Allie run into the room them with a whip in her hands that she used to strike against some of the statues. Ray came out right behind her and finished his own kata with two blades in his hands and cried out….

"Testurian the Unchained!" Ray called as Testurian appeared and roared before he looked at what was before him.

"Where are we and what are they? And where did you get those?" He asked as Ray stood next to him, two swords drawn and ready to fight. Ray gripped the blades as the first of the smaller ones moved towards him and slashed down with the blades a second before the swords he was holding caught fire and blazed a slash through one of the statues, cutting it in two. Ray stared at the blades before a smirk grew on his face.

"Talk later, their some kind of security system and I found these in this forge." Ray said as Testurian slammed one of the statues to the floor and looked at the bigger ones. Ray stared at the other group making its way towards the other staircase and was about to call out to Testurian when black energy beams pierced the leading statue through its chest as Black Feather took up a guard position before the door and grabbed two more and threw them at the larger statues. Gabe paled when he saw Testurian aim his cannon at the larger one and was barely able to stop him with a scream.

"NO, IF YOU TAKE OUT THE BIGGER ONE THEN MORE OF THE SMALL ONES WAKE UP, AND THE LAST TIME IT WAS **DOUBLE** THE AMOUNT OF THE FIRST!" Gabe cried as Three-Eye curved around and hit another of the smaller statues in the chest as it passed by and dodged a blow from a spear.

"Error message, run rownd gAm boss needed!" Gargle said as he scanned the chamber and looked upwards before going still before he started to shake in Gab's backpack.

"posebL mob count; 120." Gargle whispered as Gabe stared into space as Three-Eye hovered as Lucy joined him and Skull Cutter slashed at the smaller statues keeping them back._ How do we get out of this, the way they acted the smaller ones are 'programed' to leave the chamber and we don't know how their powered or if more of them will activate on their own, well the crystals are the answer to the first but the second, I don't know. That book, maybe it would have the answer to this place_. Gabe thought as he looked at the grouping at the pedestal.

Jaha directed Black Feather to slice down at another of the statues trying to get at her and frowned as she looked about the chamber and tried to think about how she would get the rest of them out alive._ Who set this up and if Meg was right then this was used by humans before the Veil was formed and if the Order is involved then I think someone was playing with Cyber Virues on our own for years!_ Jaha thought as she watched Testurian grab on and use it as a club, destroying both of them and before slashing at another.

"The book on the pedestal, it could have the answer to how to shut these things down!" At Gabe's cry Jaha moved into the chamber was going began to move towards the pedestal when Ray screamed as he moved forward, not noticing one of the larger statues had seen him.

"Wait, someone set this up to kill Masters!" Ray's cry had barely penetrated Jaha's mind when she heard the sounds of stone falling to the floor and turned around and saw thirty more of the smaller statues drop to the floor, ten of them moving at her, ten towards Ray and Allie will five went to reinforce the larger ones and the last five went towards Skull Cutter.

"If this is set up to get Masters why are some of them after us Ray?!" Allie demanded as she hit a statue with her whip and watched as the place her whip hit it started to bubble away.Allie looked down at her whip and smirked as she hit it again, this time destroying the central gem, Allie grinned as she fought; some part of her knowing how to use the whip to defender herself, some part of her taking pleasure in the battle. As Scaradorable bit one of the statues they were fighting's head off before jumping off it before Allie struck the statues crystal._ We're holding our own and this whip is really good, next time we fight Carny I should take it with me._ Allie said as she subconsciously grinned darkly before it left her face as she looked at the foes before them.

"Bob, think maybe we could get rid of some more of them before they wake up?" Ray asked as he looked up and Testurian grinned.

"Let's find out." Testurian said as his shoulder cannon extended and fired at the top of the chamber at the immobile statues, destroying three with each blast he fired. Allie looked and saw one of the two larger ones turn and move towards them with three of the smaller ones following in its wake.

"Incoming!" Allie warned as she struck out her whip as Ray sliced down with his flaming swords, together the two of them destroyed another three as Scaradorable screamed and blasted three of them backwards, cracking their gemstones. Before Testurian had to turn his attention to the larger statue he had been able to fire another five blasts with his cannon before he started to grapple with the larger statue.

Gabe and Lucy had huddled behind Skull Cutter as it defended them with Three-Eyed blasting away with its tail as Gabe tried to think of anything that could help them survive. Lucy willed her Skull Cutter to take the head off another one before Gabe formed a shield to block the blows of two more before Skull Cutter attacked them.

"Set up to kill Masters, Ray is a target based on what is….the Siphon, Ray took in mana from Infernus, Master Jaha must have done the Siphon on Queen Kalima! Then that means…. And with one gone maybe I can." Gabe muttered to himself as he directed Three-Eye to spit more webbing at the statues, slowing down four of them and Skull Cutter slashed through two of them, destroying the crystals sending them to the ground. Suddenly Gabe looked at the pedestal and made a quick decision. Directing Three-Eye, it flew at the pedestal group and shot by them and climbed upwards, the book in one of its hands. As the statues looked at it and started to throw their spears at Three-Eyed Gabe saw some of the smaller statues waking up and willed his creature to throw the book at Master Jaha, which it did seconds before three of the smaller statues fell onto Three-Eyed and were banished with it!

Jaha caught the book and frowned when she saw the gibberish on the paper._ All that effort on Gabriel's part and we can't use it at all! We have to hold them but if the rest of these things wake up, maybe we should fall back and defend the stairs, if Allison goes for help…_ Jaha thought before she heard Lucy cry out.

"You need to put your gauntlet on the stone inserted into the book and let it take some of your man, that's how you can read it! But brace yourself; it's like having the worst head cold for a few seconds!" Lucy called out as Gabe watched for anyone that might get by Skull Cutter as Testurian grappled with the larger statue as Ray, Allie and Scaradorable fought off the smaller ones attacking them. Jaha looked and willed Black Feather to fall back to guard her and put her hand on the stone. She stumbled backwards and held her head and dropped the book, after a few seconds she got ahold of herself and picked the book up as Black Feather shot a blast from its eyes that destroyed the gem on the chest of one of the statues trying to get by them.

Opening the book she quickly flipped pages, trying to find any mention of the statues. Finally she found the page and reading quickly she found what she needed to know. _So all we have to do to power down is to deactivate the control station by….wait where is the station?_ Jaha thought as she looked around and finally noticed where it was. Jaha made a motion to move before she dodged backwards and cursed as the last of the statues at the pedestal were focusing on her and she heard the sounds of other statues moving above her.

"Gabriel, Lucy, that room behind you next to the stairs you came down from! There's a station inside with a small pyramid made of crystal in there, remove it and these things will stop moving!" Jaha barked as Black Feather lashed out with its eye blasts, taking out at least three of the smaller statues and taking the arm off another.

"Go Gabe, me and Skull Cutter have your back!" Lucy called as Skull Cutter delivered another slash and took out another statue. Gabe hesitated for a few seconds before he ran towards the room and entered it and saw a chest along one side and towards the back a pedestal with a glowing crystal pyramid on it.

Ray parried a blow from one of the statue's spears and moved backwards to avoid another one. He turned when he heard Testurian roar and saw him banished as the smaller statues swarmed him and winced as he, Allie and Scaradorable backed up as Scaradorable returned to it koala form to defend its self-better. Allie raised her whip to strike against one of the statues when they suddenly all dropped to the floor.

Ray looked around and spotted Gabe leaving the doorway, a cystal pyramid in his hands that

"Everyone back the way you came, now! I'll meet all of you at the intersection you split up at and we'll head back and cover the doorway until a large party can investigate this place and you two will be leaving those weapons with Toji." Jaha said as Black Feather hovered behind her. Ray looked at her, a comment on his lips when he saw the way she looked and wisely decided to follow her command without question.

"That's it then, we're fully up and running." A charismatic sounding voice said as lights started to come on in the room they were in, revealing the Choten, Heller and ten Minions moving about a room with a large window that showed a large wall with a harbor below around it.

"Man boss if you didn't have this backup site set up I don't want to think about how many of us would have survived on our own in this mess of a world. And with all the changes lately I don't wanna think what our chances actually were." Heller said as he read the monitor before him showing the readiness of the base. _Lost about a third of our stock of Terreasaur horns and we lost twenty percent of our hex platforms with the horns on 'em when we lost the ship greet, just great. I really should bring it to the boss's attention soon but we've got otherwise we've got enough food to last and with the harvest once the farms are set up we'd be fine. _Heller thought as he turned to his boss.

"Yes, the result of the Monarchs being at the center of the Null Zone is quite interesting, and perhaps something to be noted for the future. And the new weapons that have shown up are something to be investigated further. And the report on what you brought back when you rescued Fingers is quite interesting." The Choten said as Heller laughed darkly.

"You aren't wrong about that boss, where'd you think they've been hiding, cause I know our 'Spheres went over the place one of those things _new_ villages are, and all that was anywhere near it were nothing but trees and plants! And those things weren't anything to worry about, jump 'em and keep at 'em and they go down like all the others." Heller exclaimed gruffly as he fingered a wound that one of the new comers had given him after the invasion.

"Calm yourself Mr. Heller. I admit that how they appeared from nowhere is a concern but I have a few ideas about just what created their refuges, and if I'm right then there are so much open for us to take advantage of." The Choten said as he smirked.

"So what now, rearm and try the plan again or what, try a different approach? And there's no way for any of 'em all to find us right boss?" Heller asked with a hint of worry in his voice causing the Choten to chuckle as he looked at him and around the room, noticing the Minoins had all stopped their work to listen in.

"Rest assured all of you! This place is safe from all possible discoveries! We took the memories of the workers with but the first fruits of our new labors with a project only I and those who I sent here knew about! Nigel didn't have a single clue to this place and there was not a single speck of evidence on the _Skidbladnir_ to point the Duel Masters to us!" The Choten declared causing the people in the room to start to grin as they looked at their leader.

"There are various reasons that you all have chosen to follow me in our endeavors my loyal ones and I will not waste our time going over them all. The Veil will fall one day; there is no doubt in my mind that chaos will happen when that day comes. We will take over both sides of the Veil and bring order where there is chaos, structure where there is anarchy, safety where there is danger!" The Choten exclaimed the sense of purpose the people in the room were experiencing was rising as he talked. Heller smirked as he saw the Minions expressions, glad the Choten had listened to him about making a speech for moral. _Glad that Light freak is gone, makes my rise to third in command after his girl all the easier. Course with the boss's orders for secrecy I doubt we're in too much trouble for a while but I'd better start making an escape plan in case I need it, probably should start learning how to fix this._ He thought as he looked at his Tech-Gauntlet as he listened to the Choten.

"Our plans did hit a slight snag, but really my friends, what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. My friends we will succeed eventually, defeat is but an opportunity to try again." The Choten said as he looked out of the window at the complex as creatures and humans moved about. At the far back of the room a steel gateway sparked to life as a breech in the veil formed and Alexander Carnahan came through looking about with a nonchalant air as he did so.

"And with every opportunity to try again, you learn how to be better the next time." He said with a grin.

"So this is your new headquarters August, it seems to be a step up from what you had before." Alexander asked as he looked about dismissively. The Choten chuckled as he looked at Alexander and spoke aloud to the room at large.

"Indeed and I must thank young Raiden for the defeating me as he did. That boy show me quite a lot and given what happened to my army and from what you've told me he was able to change his father back to normal. But that taught me that while the side with the most powerful creatures will win the war to come, they don't have to be the most evolved to do so. Mr. Heller, has Fingers reported from the crèche?" He asked as Heller smirked at him and spoke confidently.

"All's up and running and the first batch should be ready to be released very soon bossman, the Doc's there as looking over the last few steps and making records." Heller said as Alexander looked up at this.

"Very good. Mr. Heller, please take over here and tell them I will be the laboratory shortly with a guest for the new treatment. Mr. Carnahan if you would please follow me." The Choten said as Heller nodded as Alexander looked at him.

"Crèche, what's that? And what treatment" Alexander asked as the Choten chuckled and walked towards an open door to an elevator, Alexander following behind him. Pushing a button the elevator started to go downward as the Choten turned his attention to Alexander.

"The treatment is a…security measure that I was able to _acquire_ while I had the Helm of Ultimate Technology. Let me begin with a question, have you ever noticed how the Cyber-Lords and many Aquans have bodies that don't look anything alike? The answerer to why is hard to find, why the sheer number of differences can't be explained scientifically if one had any understanding of basic genetic theory and natural evolution. As for the treatment, well, I'll let her explain it to you." The Choten said as Alexander looked interested as they descended lower

"Then what is the answer to it, what's the secret?" Alexander asked as the Choten chuckled. _Oh Mr. Carnahan when you understand just what I've uncovered and have had done I doubt you would mind getting more involved with my New Order._ The Choten thought as he looked at Alexander.

"That is a question I've wondered about since the first time I saw my first tournament at the Order so many years ago. My early studies into Creatures was about how their bodies worked and how they interacted with Mana, it was when I went after their genetic information that I saw how similar the genes of some Aquans were to Cyber-Lords did I start to make a few theories to explain it. But alas while I was able to isolate many secrets to their biology of Creatures in general the answers to my oldest questions remained out of my reach, even Aqua Seneschal didn't know the exact answer, what with his ranking in their hierarchy being so low. And my investigations into that, well current technology just wasn't up the challenge." The Choten said as the elevator stopped and the doors opened to a brightly lit hallway that he entered, Alexander following after him.

"I would expect that when you controlled the Water Civilization ruler you went after the answers to those questions. Was the answer worth the time it took to find them?" Alexander asked as he walked, his mind racing to make sense of what he was hearing. _He's right; you can't explain the differences with current knowledge of genetics, if you can count any of those things basic. Wait, that my son controls a robot that's so far beyond current technology…. An answer beyond current technology, my god, could that be the answer? _Alexander thought as his eyes widened as the Choten continued, not realizing the revelation Alexander had.

"Oh yes. When Tritonus was under my control I decided to take everything I could that his rank gave me, and I was able to dissect the entirety of the Water Civilization's knowledge and history and with that I finally came across the answers to all my questions. And once I comprehended exactly what I had been after I found had such wonderful ideas that this base was created to explore them originally. I had no choice but to keep Nigel in the dark, for one who valued order I thought the chaos of this place would be too much for him, and I always felt I would have to deal with him in a permanent manor sooner or later. Unfortunately I was right given his actions in the temple, but I trust with your help I will be able to find both him and return Tiera to my side." The Choten said with a look at Alexander from the corner of his eye.

"All my people have been told to keep an eye out for anyone answer to her name and her description; sooner or later if she's out there I'll find her. Still we need to discuss the aftermath of that, the damages to my buildings were paid for fully by my insurance and my own repairs for the regular part of my business is almost finished but if you want anything special like the serum I expect some tech support to get the production process started." Alexander said as they moved down the corridor towards a doorway at the far end.

"But of course my friend, I have the perfect candidate in mind for that. But as to the evolution serum I will need a different type of chemical for the eminent future." The Choten said as they reached the doorway. Fingers walked out and looked at them with a lazy smile on his face.

"Hey boss perfect timing!" Fingers said with a smirk as he opened the door and led the way into a room with computers and monitors all around. A woman with tan skin, her chestnut brown hair was long, flowing to her waist and she was wearing white knee high boots, black slacks and a white long sleeve shirt with a lab coat over it. She turned and revealed a heart shaped face with olive green eyes, white lipstick and a beauty mark under her right eye. She bowed to them and walked towards them and offered her hand to him. The Choten spoke up and introduced her before anyone could speak.

"Alexander this is Viviana Rossi, one of my oldest followers and current the head of research here." The Choten said as Alexander looked over Viviana, noticing a belt with small glass spheres on a belt around her slim waist

"Capo Choten, welcome, the process is almost done. And this must be Signore Carnahan, a pleasure." She said with an Italian accent. Alexander reached over and took the offered hand; bring it to his lips to kiss it.

"Signora Rossi it is a pleasure to meet you. August where have you been hiding this lady, I thought I would have met her by now or heard about her from any of the others." Alexander said as Viviana giggled softly.

"Dear Viviana wasn't ever a member of the Order; we met when I discovered her fighting a creature with glass vials and spells. Did you really think that they and they alone knew how to use mana earth-side my friend?" The Choten asked as Alexander turned to look at him in shock before turning to look at Viviana who perked up with a proud looking smile on her face.

"Oh yes, I originally found out about mana when I discovered an old manuscript in my college days. After a while I tracked down a few artifacts and was able to make a focus to help me manipulate it and unfortunately that drew a few creatures to me. A giant bug almost ate me, thankfully I fought it off and then I met my patron here, showing me the way to control these monsters." Viviana said as she caressed the spheres on her belt as Alexander gained an impressed look.

"And with knowledge we both had, the creation of that wonderful Evolution serum that you made for us my friend became so easy. My dear Viviana, how would you feel about going to help Mr Carnahan with a small remolding at his factory, all to help us get the chemical we will need in the future." The Choten said causing Viviana to smirk at this. _A chance to go back to Earth for a while and to get back in contact with my dear niece and see how my perfume is working on her classmates, perfect and how my dear brother is reacting to the candles I sent. _Viviana thought with a smirk as she looked at Alexander.

"I would be honored to help out Signore Carnahan, but I would prefer if he had the treatment first, for my own peace of mind of course." She said as Alexander looked at her.

"Once again, what treatment are you talking about?" Alexander asked as he looked around the room. Viviana pressed a button on a wall and a metal arm ending in three prongs with sparks jumping among them lowered from the ceiling. Alexander looked at it and frowned as he wondered just what it was.

"This is a way to protect your mind from those pesky Cyber Viruses. One jolt and the fear of those hidebound Duel Masters taking your memories is a thing of the past!" Viviana said as Alexander looked up at the arm and smirked._ This could put to bed a fwq of my fears for this partnership. And if I'm right then perhaps staying on his side a little longer will be more profitable than I thought._ Alexander thought as he looked up.

"They do say be prepared, and vaccinations are smart." Alexander said with a chuckle to his voice.

Ray sighed as walked home as he looked up at the stars, wondering about the future and the past. The book he and Allie had mentioned that the truth behind the Veil's creation was hidden in the grand Library but Master Jaha had ushered them back to the main temple and ordered the door way to be covered until Master Chavez and Master Nadia returned. The room that the statues had been protecting seemed to be something important and the way the mana felt in that room was different than elsewhere, anywhere really. Jaha had been looking over the books they had found and promised that they would be told what the masters decided to do. When he left Master Kimora had taken the diary he and Allie had found and was going over it, saying he would have a summery to show to the others tomorrow.

Ray chuckled a little at the expression Isao had when he returned with Kimora and they were told what had happened. He had just walked away muttering about a curse on Ray, something about interesting times and he had gone off looking for an icepack to help with a headache. Toji had looked over the weapons he and Allie had handed over to him and he had frowned, something about the gemstone inserted into them striking a memory he had, something his predecessor had told him once. He had gone off with the weapons in a bag looking at the hilt of one of the swords and soon after that Ray and his friends had been released and they had all left to return to their homes. Allie had walked off with a strange look on her face as she moved, saying something about that feeling being back and Gabe had banished Gargle and saying something about grabbing dinner out and had walked off on his own and Lucy had said something about meeting her mom and dad at a restaurant. Before he had left the Temple he had stopped at the dueling fields to resummons Bob to tell him they were okay and had survived, Bob had asked not to be summoned if it wasn't important for the rest of the night, something about going to spend some time with his mother, something about an old story he had heard once. Ray stopped walking and looked at the full moon and sighed before he spoke to himself.

"A month and we're still no closer to finding anyone. And if he's been hiding this well then he has to have made a place to hide out in the Creature Realm. And if no one's found him despite all of Water and Fire looking for him despite all the Civilizations having caught a few of his minions." Ray muttered as he continued into the trailer park and let his thoughts wonder. _Well, at least Nature and Fire caught a few minions; no telling how many died and Slyth had a few rumors of some of the Dark Lords having new corpses and genes to play with. _Ray thought with a shudder as he finally reached his street. As he walked he smiled when he saw his father and grandfather outside playing shogi as his mother sat with her back against his father reading a book. She looked up and nudge her husband, pointing towards their son with he turned and they all smiled as they turned and saw him.

"Ah Ray, how was school and the dojo today?" His grandfather asked when he reached them. Ray just grinned and looked at his family.

"No big, just Carny as usual and a bit of a problem at the dojo, I'll tell you all about it over supper, I kinda need your opinion on something." Ray said as he watched his family stand up and his mother stretch.

"Well come on, and we've got pizza for tonight Ray." His mother said as she opened the door. Ray watched his father grin as they moved in and sighed happily. _Whatever my future holds, this is what I'm fighting for, so people like my family can live free!_ Ray thought as he followed his father and grandfather.

As Ray and his family walked into their house they never noticed a glint of light from a tree a few meters away. The camera relayed the image it stole of the Okamoto family to a dark room, a person in shadows looking at the picture on his monitor and a dark chuckle started to echo in the chamber.

"I didn't think it was possible that I would see you again on this side of life but there you are, after all these years, without his memory but there he is. Raiden Okamoto, after over twenty years of hiding we've finally found you. This time I will have what I want from you even if I must bring you back into the light. Lisa please have a tactical team move out, I want him before me within the next few days." The figure said into an intercom. _After the invasion in San Campion I know that those scum suckers are finally making their move and showing their true colors. With those abominations finally broken and free from their prisons we have to be ready, and to do that I need to get my hands on Raiden. _ He turned and looked out a window into a factory, robotic arms moving about and constructing metallic things, he smirked as he watched, soon everything would be right and humanity would triumph.

"You always were a fool Raiden, a soft hearted idiot but you were my friend before you met that girl. Maybe once I have your family in custody your grandson can be trained up, it would be good to an Okamoto back in the force. And he might be a good match for my granddaughter." He muttered as he looked around and looked at a picture on his desk.


	2. Chapter 2 Hive Assault

So here's chapter two and a few months late sorry! I hope to have the Next Chapter of My Pokemon Story out on New Year's Day and after that a new story I'm debating and after that Ladybug. So enjoy this two day late Christmas present, and yes I wanted this out on Christmas, sorry its late.

Allie looked about as she tried to find anything that could be a sign of where she was. All she could see was fog and as she walked she heard the sounds of something moving about around her. She suddenly felt a breeze causing her to look down when she realized she wasn't wearing shoes and blushed as she saw she was wearing a black semitransparent nightgown that had a valley that showed the sides breasts. _What the hell am I wearing and where did it come from?_ She thought as she looked around, trying to find any sign in the fog that might tell her where she was.

"Seriously, what is this, the fog where lost teens wander?" She muttered as she covered her chest with her arms she looked around, hoping to find some clue about who she'd beat for putting her in this thing. As she moved through the fog she stopped and paled when she heard a slowly pained moan that _squeaked_. _No, that's….!_

"Squeaky!" She screamed as she ran towards the sound, not caring that anything or anyone could hear her as she ran. _If she's hurt I will murder whatever hurt her, I will tear their head from their neck if they have one!_ She thought as she ran through the fog and stopped short, her breath catching in her throat. She saw Squeaky lying on the ground before her, her right horn was broken off and she was all cut up and one of her arms was bent _wrongly_. She ran to her Creature and started to put her hands on Squeky, trying to cast a spell of healing but she couldn't feel her mana responded.

"What's wrong with me, why won't my stupid mana do what I want?!" Allie said as she tried to force her mana to do what she wanted. She looked up as she heard low moans as the fog started to lift and her breath caught in her throat. All around them was the remains of a battle, she saw people, creatures and what looked like the Chotten's TechMinoins all around her. She blanched as she saw a few of the TechMinoins had their heads lopped off, blood pooling around their necks and she barely kept from throwing up. She stood shakily and looked around; as she did she heard the sounds of feet dashing about. Turning her head she tried to find the source and she heard Squeaky get back to her feet and growl as she backed up against her partner creature.

"Poor, poor Underhill! All alone after all the trouble they went to protector her from our Master?" A sensual sounding female voice said from the fog as Allie tried to find who had spoken.

"Why does master want you, why not us?" A seductive female voice asked from her right. _Who the hell are these bimbos, I know them but who the hell are they?_ Allie thought as she tried to get her mana back under her control and heal Squeaky she tried to figure out where she was. Squeaky pressed against Allie's back and risking a glance at her, Allie saw the same fire reflected back at her that she felt.

"What, you sluts going to stay in the shadows or face us like Duelists?" Allie snarled as someone pushed her away from Squeaky before ducking backing the fog. Squeaky slashed at the fog, revealing a long black sleeve before it darted away. Allie looked around and felt her mana start to move

"She talks a good game, doesn't she sister?" The sensual voice said as laughter came from the fog to her left. Allie turned and tried to track the voices when a sound of dragging behind her caused her to spin around.

"So did they, but then this happened." The seductive voice said as something was thrown in front of Allie who stared in shock at _who_ was before her. Ray and Gabe were on the ground, Ray had his left arm hanging loosely and he was covered in cuts and his right arm was _gone_. Gabe was no better, both his legs looked like something had eaten both is legs from above the knee and his eyes were cloudy, blood from cuts staining his cloths. Ray struggled to look at her and tried to mouth something before she felt arms wrapped around her. She tried to struggle free and turn but suddenly two people grabbed her arms and head, holding her in place as she felt someone breathe on her neck.

"Let us forgot all about your past Underhill, and just look to the future **I **have planned for you." A dark male voice said as she felt a jolt of pain in the back of her neck as she reached out and felt a name burst out of her throat….

"NO!" She cried as she shot up, panting as she looked around, she was in her room and she was in her normal sleep ware. _What was that? I've never had anything like that before, is this what Ray's Natural dreams are like?_ She thought as she panted, she heard the sound of feet pounding on stairs and turned towards her door as the sounds increased. "Great I woke dad up."

"Allie?! Allie are you okay?" Allie turned as her door opened and her father came into her room holding a gold club and panted as he stood there. He looked around her room and turned to her, a confused look on his face. "What is is it Allison, what's wrong?"

Allie looked at her dad and smiled a bit as she looked around and smiled as she saw what time it was. "Sorry dad, I just had a nightmare. Sorry to wake you."

Her dad walked over to her and rubbed her head as he smiled down at her. "You didn't wake me; I have to leave early so I was already getting ready for my day. Do you feel okay, do you want to stay home from school, I still think they opened it too soon after what happened."

Allie just laughed as she stretched and smiled at him. "Nahh, I'm fine dad, really. So breakfast with you or do you need to leave now?"

Her dad looked at his watch and smiled back at her. "Sorry Allie, but I have to leave in the next ten minutes to make it on time." He said as he hugged her before he turned and walked out of her room, stopping at the door. "Make sure you lock up before you leave and I'll be back a little late tonight so you can eat out tonight, just call me if I have to pick you up." He said as he hugged her before he left. Allie kept a smile on her face still until she heard her father leave the sound of her father's car leaving their home before she let herself fall apart.

Allie sat and hugged her knees as she put her head down and started to breathe heavily._ What was that, why did I dream…_ Allie thought before she stood up, her face resolute as she got off her bed and walked to her desk and sat down, looking at her laptop and wondering if she dared to send a message to her friends. Her fingers hovered over the power key and she sighed and moved her hand away. _This is stupid, but that dream was so real…_ _I need to get stronger, strong enough that I won't ever be in something like that ever, that nothing will happen to my friends!_ She thought as she stood up and moved to get ready for school, a determined expression on her face. As she left her room she never noticed a bat like creature with a single glowing black eye hanging outside her window, after a few seconds it took wing and flew away.

Carney smirked as he finished brushing his hair and flexed before the mirror. "Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" He said as he walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his backpack, stopping and going back into his room and taking out a small knife case from his desk that he put into a special pocket in his backpack with a mutter. "Can't forget that, I need it for today."

He smirked as he looked out his window, grinning as he realized that everything was coming together, but before he could leave the room his phone buzzed, causing him to stop and grab it. Reading the text from Driggs, his grin widened as he read it. _Great, he found where the backup generator is yesterday and he saw the wires looked a bit damaged, and with that little rat thing I found last week the plan is perfect. All I need to do now is get ready to act after the bake sale and then, oh man I can't wait._ He thought as he walked through the mansion towards the kitchen. "Going to school dad, I'll be out so I won't need the limo….who's she?"

At the kitchen table sat a woman with long brown hair eating a meal across from his father who sat across from her reading the paper. Alexander looked up and saw Carney standing in the kitchen and

"There you are boy, this is Viviana; she's from my partner. She'll be staying here for a while as she helps us get the factory back in order." Alexander said as Carney looked at her.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, your father told me much about you." Viviana said as she smiled at him. He stared at her before looking at his father who nodded at his look.

"Good, thinking about why something is happening. She's staying here because most of the hotels are still closed and what is open I wouldn't doubt that the so called Duel Masters wouldn't be able to break in." Alexander said as Carney nodded back.

"Okay, the bus will be here soon, see you later!" Carney said as he dashed out the door, grabbing an apple as he went. He looked back at his house, wondering how he should feel about this. _Ever since the attack, dad's been great and I think I proved myself to him a little. And he hasn't even looked at another woman since mom died, so maybe having someone else around the house might be good, fuck I don't need this when my plan is coming together._ As his thoughts scrambled in his head he boarded his bus and never noticed his father watching him from within the mansion.

"Strong boy, I saw his training when you had him on the ship." Viviana said as she came up behind him. Alexander chuckled and let a small smile show on his face as he looked at his son as he got on the bus.

"The boy finally proved himself to me when your boss failed. He's got some plan for the bake sale, doesn't know what but I do I am impressed." Alexander said with a proud smirk. "I was planning to go and watch him to make sure that rival of his doesn't ruin it for him."

"Would that be young Raiden Pierce-Okamoto? What I wouldn't give to have a sample of his blood to look over." Viviana said as she shivered with interest causing Alexander to look at her.

"What would you learn from him? I mean the boy was strong but what would his blood tell you?" Alexander asked as Vivvian looked out the window.

"For one thing he **was** born in the Creature Realm after all; he had to have eaten a lot of mana rich food for at least a year not counting what he got from his mother. Why the affects that might have had on him, I can't even begin to think guess." Viviana explained as she shivered in wonder about what it could have done to him.

"That can affect growth?" Alexander asked as he looked and started to think of what mana might do for him. _If I can get anything from the other side of the Veil, perhaps it might do to change my diet._ He thought as Vivian huffed and scowled.

"A few experiments by feeding rats showed impressive results, and of course the Chotten never even let me do a few human trials, he insisted that everyone only eats food from earth." Viviana said as she crossed her arms under her breasts, causing Alexander's eyes to go to them for a second before he realized what she had just said.

"Then the reason he wanted food so often." Alexander said with a chuckle. "What was he afraid of, allergies or something?"

"Yes, your food shipments were but a part of that. And I think it's something from his time with the Order really." Viviana said with a musical laugh. "So Mr. Carnahan, what do you expect to give us the most problems?"

Alexander offered her his arm which she took and he led her towards the garage and the waiting limo. "The outer work is finished and I've given the rest of my workers the day off, really getting the supplies past the Creatures and the Duelmasters from the otherside will be the most problematic."

"Yes well I wonder if whoever is in charge of the transport will be able to get it to us without any trouble, but with how the Realms have been lately I do wonder if it will get here." Viviana said as they reached the limo.

"There is of course the way that we left his new lair, that gate?" Alexander asked as Viviana giggled at him.

"That's part of the shipment. After what happened to the shipment in the Darkness Realm, well dear August wanted a more secure transfer route." Viviana said as Alexander looked at her with a look in his eyes that caused her to laugh a little. "Oh don't worry, the gate works only if both sides are active."

"Then it only works if I activate my end, perfect." Alexander said as he smiled. _Of course I will put a few of my own on security, and see if I can get a few more gauntlets for myself. I mean while I do trust the Chotten not to betray me it never hurts to be prepared for a hostile takeover attempt._ He thought as the limo drove out of the garage.

As the limo drove away Alexander frowned as he noticed as swarm of bees flying by the walls. _I'd better have the groundskeeper spray or call an exterminator, the last thing I need are bees around here_. He thought as he turned back to Viviana. "So my dear, what will you prefer for lunch, surf or turf?"

Allie stood outside the school and sighed. _Why can't I get that dream out of my head, maybe I should talk to Master Nadia when she gets back about it or maybe Master Jaha could know what it was about._ She thought as she absently flicked a fly away from her face. "And what the heck is the matter with these bugs?" She muttered to herself as she looked around, frowning as she noticed more bugs around then she usually saw. She looked towards one of the trees near the school and for a few seconds she thought she saw a few flashes of yellow moving about it. "No matter what happens, those scum never change, after everything you'd think they'd grow but then they'd have to be human for that to happen.

She looked around and saw Carnie and his minions laughing as they lounged outside waiting for the day to start, the damage from the _earthquake_ had caused the teachers to keep the school closed until class, but today was the last time that they would do that. She looked up when she heard a bus stop and saw Gabe get off it and move towards her.

"Good morning Allie, so anything happen yet?" Gabe asked as he reached her and flicked away a bee.

"Hey Gabe, how's the brat pack dealing with their new school?" Gabe winced and sighed as Allie chuckled. _That's one good thing, with the way their old school was destroyed a lot of kids were shuffled around, I thought they might even put a few porta-classrooms here with everything that happened._ Allie thought with a smirk on her face, she really didn't like Gabs younger brothers after a few pranks the two had played on her.

"Their new school might be good for them, they have this study hall as their last class and the teacher's forcing them to do their homework there and well…Say Allie are you okay, you don't look so good?" Gabe said as he looked at her, really looked at her and frowned as he noticed she seemed a little jumpy. _She's ussualy a lot more _

Allie looked away before she just released a deep breath and sighed. "I had a dream I need to talk to Master Jaha about, it was…._bad_. and no I don't want to tell you about it Gabe!"

Gabe held up his hands and hearing laughter he turned and saw Carney and his cronies getting off a bus and scowled as he looked. "He's been in a good mood lately, what do you think he's up to?"

"With him anything has to be trouble. Remember how he summoned that Stomper at the Aquarium?" Allie asked as Gabe nodded and looked at Carney.

"At least with Ray's new house when his mom drops him off in the morning he'll be able to keep an eye on Carney if he's here early too." Gabe said causing Allie to look at him. "What? Her job and the lighthouse, there are only so many ways she can go in the morning."

Carney looked at Gabe and Allie as they talked and scowled when he looked around and didn't see Ray anywhere. _Where's that mutt, thought he'd be here by now._

"Everything's ready right, you know what to do?" He asked out of the corner of his mouth as Driggs nodded back before speaking.

"Yeah boss I'll make a commotion at lunch, but why do you need to check out the generator room anyway?" Diggs asked as Carney started to snicker.

"All part of the plan, all part of the plan." Carney said as he looked around and noticed a limo pull up with Giovanni getting out with Kevin coming out behind him. _Why the hell does transfer want to talk to wimp boy for, I mean really. The brat's a good target, what is he trying to make that punk a man or something? I mean the only way he evry showed he had guts was when he…_ His thoughts died before his eyes darted to Allie, noticing the glare in her eyes as she looked at Giovanni and shook his head. As he turned and saw Nickles glaring towards Giovanni and he looked back and saw the girls start to crowd around him as he led the way towards school.

"What does that foreign brat have that we don't boss? I mean if the girls were after cash why not you?" Nickles grumbled as Carney nodded, frowning as he looked at **who** was fawning over him. _I coulda sworn that she was a lesbian and she had a long term boyfriend outa time. Really does that brat have that we don't?_ He wondered as he looked at the two of them.

"Don't know, but like my dad said there's no accounting for taste." Carney said as he watched Giovanni hold court and walk towards the doors, but after a few moments he followed Giovanni's eyes and saw he was looking at Allie who had her back turned but shuddered. _What, transfer-brat is interested in Underhill, thought she was into Ray-Ray. Going after a girl who's after someone else, guess he does have a darkside to em._ He thought until Giovanni turned and looked at him, causing Carney to freeze.

"…so anyway boss, we'd just have to handle a few things….Boss, you okay?" Nickles asked as Diggs shook Carney until he broke free and held a hand to his head.

"Stay away from the transfer student, you hear me you two?!" Carney snarled as he turned to Nickles and Diggs as they both looked at each other before turning back to him.

"Sure Carney but why? I mean he's just a weak brat

"Don't ask, do it!" Carney spat as he moved towards the doors as the teachers opened them and the last few busses came up behind him. _I haven't felt something like that since I first met the Chotten, I don't know what the brat's deal is but he's not normal. Is he a duelist, should I ask Fingers or Heller about him, should I bring it up with dad? No if nothing happens no, if something happens then I'll let him know._ Carney thought as he led his crew past Allie and Gabe, Allie giving him a stink eye.

Ray got off the bus and sighed. _Only a few trips then mom'll be taking me in from now on. Maybe I should look into saving up for a bike or something, look into registering a homemade vehicle maybe. _He thought as he got off the bus and noticed Lucy getting of one.

"Hey Lucy, going to the dojo after school?" He called out. Lucy jumped a little and turned to look at him and released a sigh.

"Phhu, its just you Ray, thought it was….somebody else. Yeah, I need to talk to Master Kimora about skipping the lessons this Saturday, I got flagged to work the Auction and the after party." Lucy said and Ray nodded.

"Got it, so anything else bothering you, you jumped." Ray said as they walked towards the doors and he smiled when he saw Allie and Gabe. Lucy just shook her head.

"Just some problems I'm dealing with, nothing wrong just a few problems that I want to handle on my own, so don't tell the others okay?" Lucy demanded and Ray nodded and turned back to Allie and Gabe as they reached them. "Hey guys everything okay on the Carney front?"

"Carney just went in and Kevin's still with _him_." Allie said with a scowl and Ray sighed and looked at Gabe who shrugged before looking at Lucy with a frown.

"You doing okay Lucy, you don't look so good." Gabe asked and Lucy just shook her head.

"Got a bat start this morning, give me a bit of time and I'll be fine. I'm lucky I have study hall for first period."

"So any plans for the bakesale this Frieda guys?" Ray asked as they enetered the school and walked to their lockers ._I really don't get what problem you have with him Allie, but I get it. My dreams are proof that people can 'see' things that others can't so I won't say anything._ Ray thought as he opened his locker and pulled out some of his school books before the loudspeakers activated.

"Students after a few changes and returns, the bake sale will happen now be an event with live music and dancing, basically a get together to celebrate we're alive after the earthquake. Volunteers will be able to be let in their family at half price; all volunteers may pick up a voucher at the end of the day at the office, thank you."

Ray looked at the others, all of them looking lost.

"Okay, so the teachers have decided to have an out of nowhere dance to celebrate surviving the

'earthquake'." Lucy said as she leaned against her locker.

"What do you want to bet the teachers will be trying to get some 'volunteers' form the students?" Lucy asked as she looked around at the others.

Ray laughed and led the way away from their lockers towards their class. "No bet Allie no bet."

By his locker Carny looked conflicted. _Okay, bigger take then you thought, just got to make sure the generator goes like I said then I hit the place after._ He thought as he closed his locker.

"What'll we do boss, I mean with this?" Nickles asked as Carney scowled at him.

"Nothing changes, we go as I planned." Carney said as Nickles and Diggs looked at each other and followed after Carney as they left their lockers, not noticing Nirri had listened in once again on their plans.

Ray picked at his lunch as he looked around, a frown on his face as he ate. _Where is Allie, shouldn't she be here by now?_ He thought as he tried to take his mind off his friend's absence, not noticing the scowl on his face as he ate. Gabe and Lucy shared a looked; Lucy grinning a little as Gabe just shook his head at Ray's antics.

"Soooo." Gabe began as he ate his food as he tried to figure out just what to say. "When's the move?"

"Dad's there now going over the last few details, by this Sunday we'll have a cook out to commemorate the move." Ray said with a smile. "Think you guys can make it?"

"Sorry, I've got a shift at the club than, you know how it is…..I've got to fill in for somebody who broke their leg." Lucy said as she shrugged and Ray nodded. _And there's the fact that there's a charity auction then and_ Carney's _dad is one of the sponsor's. Sorry Ray but I think I'll look into this alone._ She thought as she ate her lunch. She smiled suddenly, causing Ray and Gabe to turn and see Allie coming towards them holding a tray, a frown on her face.

"Hey Allie, you okay?" Ray asked causing Allie sit down across from him and to slam her tray down and start to pick from it.

"I'm fine Ray, just fine. Loosy civics grade, I'd like to send Squeaky after that bitch on a dark night, put the fear of god into her." She muttered as she ate. Ray and the others shared a look before Ray sighed and looked at her.

"Let me guess, the our favorite Civics teacher pulled you back and got you to 'volunteer' for the sale this Friday too?" Ray asked as the others looked at him as Allie nodded.

"Yeah she got me when I was heading here….seems that the number of suckers was way down and they needed more. 'As a civic minded girl, I'm sure you'd be happy to help the less fortunate.' Like to show her less fortunate." Allie said with a grumble as Lucy gave a chuckle.

"And that's why I always try and make sure my seat is close to the door." Lucy said as she grinned at Ray and Allie as they looked at her with glares. "We not going to talk about the books, cause I'm fine with that."

Lucy's words caused the others to look down at their food and just eat in silence for a few moments as each gathered their thoughts.

"I think we shouldn't talk here, but maybe broad stocks, don't want Uncle Chotten to learn from cousin Carney about it, you know?" Allie

"Think it was just a power grab or was there something more?" Gabe asked quietly as he drank some of his soup. _From what I read the Light Master was one of the people behind the coup, could that be one of the reason Nigel was so ruled bound?_ He thought as he sat there.

"I don't know, they said that they'd look over the book me and Allie found and make an announcement about if for everyone once they've had a chance to go over it." Ray said as he looked around, trying to see if he could spot Carney or his minions.

"And that way the diary ended, 'conquerors'? I really don't like that at all." Allie said as she shuddered a little. _I get how you shouldn't touch wild animals and such, but some of the Kaiju are inelegant, if you can't touch them and help them like Shouter or Bob, then you worse than the Chotten….which is a bad thought all on its own._ She mused as she looked across at Ray, wondering what was bothering her so much.

"I mean you guys told me about the rules the dojo used to be so hidebound about, think this might be why?" Lucy asked as she tried to shake off the strange feeling she had as she fought to not shiver. _What is it, what's wrong with me? I mean so far since I got here I've been feeling like something's eyeing me to eat and not in the good way!_ She thought as she fought down another shiver. She raised her head and sighed at what she saw over Gabe's shoulder. "Oh great, she's back."

Portia looked at Ray and the others and sighed, shaking her head. _Why does Underhill have to always stick up for those lower class losers, I mean really. It's like she doesn't even respect the food chain at all, and since Lucy joined that dojo they were going to they've been closer then ever. _She thought before someone threw their arms around her from behind. She opened her mouth to yell but before she could scream the person spoke.

"Hey girl; how's things?" Portia smiled and turned, returning Maribel's hug.

"Mar it's great to see you, how's the fam?" Portia asked as Maribel laughed and flicked her hair as she sat down next to her friend.

"Oh everything's fine with them, dad was just a little worried about looters here so we left." Maribel admitted. "Mom was finally able to get dad to let up and well, we're back."

"Looters, in San Champion? Please, the police were totally on top of the disaster relief!" Portia said as she scoffed in disbelief. Maribel just laughed and shook her head.

"Tell that to my father, you know how overprotective he is…Hello, who's dark and handsome over there with Kevin?" Maribel asked causing Portia to look up and see Kevin and Giovanni walk into the courtyard and move towards an empty table

"That's the new rich kid, Giovanni Sanguis. He came to school about 2-3 days I think after you left. Doesn't like Carny and defended Kevin yesterday." Portia said as she looked at her friend. _So are you interested in that one sister, he hasn't been on any dates I know of so maybe he doesn't kiss and tell, which is a big step up from a lot of the guys around here._

"What, Ray-Ray didn't leap to tussle with Carney? Thought those two live to beat each other." Maribel asked as Portia laughed a little.

"As if! He did that white knight thing he does when Carney's around and needling the weaklings. Giovanni came after and walked off with Kevin and he brought him to school in his limo today.

"Limo, we talking rich like Carney or more?" Maribel asked as Portia grinned.

"Custom paint job and the driver never steps out." Portia said as she looked at Giovanni and licked her lips. "I was wondering if I should date him before you got back but since you're here?"

Maribel grinned and looked at Portia as she raised a fist "The usual then?"

"On three?" Portia said as she raised her own fist.

"One….Two….Three!" The two girls said as they threw out their fists and looked down. Portia scowled as Maribel grinned as her paper beat Portia's rock.

"So I can go first then, great! Maybe I'll see if he wants to be my date to the dance-raiser this Friday." Maribel said as Portia pouted. "Since Kevin's his friend if I can get a date, how about a double with Kevin? Might make him more open to have a date with him for yourself if we do that?"

Portia looked at Kevin and sighed. "Okay, but something low key, a 'group date' only got it?"

Giovanni looked at Kevin as he watched Maribel and Portia and smirked slightly. "So which of those two do you have your eye on Kev?" Giovanni asked causing Kevin to look at him and blush and looked away

"What, those two….? Never in a million years!" Kevin said with a blush as he looked away. Giovanni looked at him and cast a spell that let him feel Kevin's emotion and he had to resist as grinning as he felt lust, self-loathing and desire stir in him.

"Really Kev, they are cute." Giovanni said as he looked at Kevin who scowled.

"The only thing those two have are their looks. Hasn't anyone told you those two date more guys than anyone in the school, sometimes on the same day and from different schools!" Kevin said as he shook his head. "And some of the guys see them as status symbols; if they date you then you're 'cool' or whatever. And some girls think their picky about who they date, looking for the _one_ or whatever."

"I've known girls like that, often a drain on the guy's finances. They actually up there in the hierarchy around here? I mean one of 'em's been gone since before I joined the school." Giovanni asked as Kevin sighed.

"Like I said, their status symbols and here, a lot of people look at what they do or who but only for gossip. In the city, with kids our age; they're considered among the most beautiful or cool girls in the city, a bit low on the list but well." Kevin said as he looked around. "Not that they care about it or even know it."

"There's a list?" Giovanni asked, wondering just what that could mean and how he could use it.

"Yeah, and there are a few criteria but for our school their considered among the top, well next to Allie of course." Kevin said as he looked towards the Allie as she talked with her friends. "I'll send you a link to the site, have to use your school ID to get in through, and your password for the school network."

"How's that possible, how would this site even get that kinda info?" Giovanni asked with shock, Kevin only shrugged at him.

"They say a science nerd was responsible for the first site and talked with others at the different schools and they each hacked into their school security and sent the passwords and ID to the site. All rumors really." Kevin said as he

"There a section for guys?" Giovanni asked jokingly only to stare as Kevin nodded back at him.

"Bullies, jocks, loners and nerds. Everyone facet of a kid's social ecosystem is on that list, through who knows about it I can't say, basically a list of the most famous teens in the city." Kevin said as Giovanni whistled. "And those two are at the top of the possible 'Queen Bee' of the school and 'most expensive to date'."

Giovanni looked at Kevin and felt that twitch of desire towards the two girls and looked at them, and both of them caught his look and giggled a little at each other. He felt Kevin's desires spike and smirked a bit as he ate his food. _ All I need to do is impress them into my service and I'll have a better source of intelligence about whose who around here then stumbling around on my own, and once I train Kevin I can pass them to him. and that website might be a good source for a few catspaws._ He thought as he looked at Kevin and smirked as he got the bare bones of a plan together.

"Ugg, I can't believe that bruja! I had plans already but nooooo! Now I gotta deal with that stupid bake sale, at least it'll be bigger and there'll be music." Isabella fumed as she ate a salad and put some ranch dressing on it as Nirri laughed weakly at her friend's plight.

"So what about your brother Isabella, is he back from his trip?" Nirri asked as she picked at her lunch and tried to listen in on any conversations.

"No, but he should be back sometime today or tomorrow so there's that at least. And if I have to be there maybe I'll see if I can talk him into taking his new girlfriend on a date then." Isabella said as she ate her food and looked at her friend, hiding the grin as she wondered how she could embarrass her brother. "But what about you, are you two coming?"

"He's got a job this Friday with that band of his….and it's the sale." Nirri said as she put her head onto the table and sighed. "So that's why he was so excited this morning, this it. And I guess he's happy because he'll be able to ask people about me, he's always so overprotective."

Isabella laughed a little. _He is protective of her but then there's their older sister to consider. A few comments he's made about her….I really want to know but should I ask? _Isabella thought as she looked at Nirri as she looked back.

"That's your 'I have a question I'm dying to ask but I don't know how to, so just say whatever it is."

"Okay….You know I always wondered, you said that that candle you guys light in your kitchen is for your older sister, what happened to her?" Isabella asked as Nirri swallowed her food.

Nirri looked at Isabella as she thought fast. _Okay bro said that we came to America to get away from problems back in Hong Kong so what did he say about sis? Oh yeah._ Nirri smiled at Isabella bitterly. "She had an offer to learn from a teacher that our mother agreed to, after a few months when brother tried to get in contact we learned that a mudslide had destroyed the school, her body was never recovered and that is that. He and I think she's out there but we don't know if we'll ever see her again."

"Sorry to bring it up….. Say, what's that buzzing?" Isabella asked as she looked around. Nirri looked as well and slowly looked up and paled.

"Isabella, get up and move towards the doors inside, slowly. Now." Nirri said as she got up. Isebella looked at her before turning her head slowly and paled when she saw what Nirri had. She got up slowly and moved towards Ray's table and grabbed Ray's arm, causing the others to look at her.

"Hu, Nirri what is it?" Ray asked, frowning as he saw her with a finger to her lips and they all followed her eyes, seeing what she hand and causing them to go silent as they tried to keep themselves quiet and following her actions move towards the doors to the school.

"What about the others?" Lucy asked as Allie snorted and looked around with a scowl on her face.

"Besides Kevin the only people here are those who like to watch and the two would be Queens plus Carney's bunch. And save yourselves first then others." Allie said as they walked towards the doors.

Nickles looked up, frowning as he saw what was happening over Carney's shoulder. _That's weird, they usually clean up after themselves, why are they leaving their plates there?_ He thought as he looked at Ray and the others and seeing Ray look up gazed upwards and swallowed as he palled. "Boss, we gotta get into the school slowly and quietly."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Carny asked as he looked at him and following Nickles fear filled gaze, swallowed and nodded as the three of them got up and calmly walked towards the school.

Maribel laughed at a joke Portia told and frowned as she saw Ray and Carney's groups moving towards the school and followed where "BEEESSS!"

"Thanks a bunch Maribel!" Allie said as the students rushed towards the school as the bees reacted and dived towards them all.

"Move!" Ray called out as he held his tray over her head as he looked back and saw a third of the swarm going for the food on the tables.

"Think this is related?" Lucy asked as they ran towards the doors, Nirri barely able to hear above the chaos around them.

"Definitely related! If the school closes we should go there now!" Gabe said as they reached the doors. _How could anything they'll involved with be realated to this, but I know whatever it is Carney's involved. I can't trust them I need to find out on my own. _Nirri thought as she and promised herself that she would get to the bottom of this.

As the bugs swarmed into the school Carney led Diggs and Nickles as they followed everyone inside and slipped away as the loud speakers started blaring. "Students as we currently seem to be experiencing an…..incident, all afternoon classes are canceled, please watch the local news for updates if the school will be open tomorrow, also if you miss it the answer one way or the other it will be on the school website no latter then ten tonight, have a nice and safe day."

"What do we do man?" Diggs demanded as they ran through the halls, swatting any bugs that got close to them as Carney tried to think. _The schools letting out and the teachers are watching and then there's the bugs, everyone is running all over and the brat's….perfect._ Carney thought as he grinned, seeing Ray and his friends run towards the front doors.

"Follow me!" Carney barked as he ran down a hallway, his two minions following behind him.

"Where are we going boss?" Nickles asked as they ran, noticing a few small groups of insects following after them and he reached into his pockets and dropping what food he had in them. After a minute they reached an area without anyone around and Carney dashed towards a door and slammed it open. Gesturing Nickles and Diggs moved through the door before Carney closed the door behind him and smirked.

"Now what boss, how are we gonna get out of here?" Diggs asked as Carney snorted and put down his backpack and pulled out the case he had grabbed earlier that morning. He opened it and revealed a set of black goggles with green glass above a starnge horn.

"What's that?" Diggs asked as he looked at horn as Nickles paled. "Don't tell me it's like the glove man!"

"Same source, but way different." Carney said as he he cut the air and a glowing white hole appeared, revealing a forest on the otherside. He slipped through the breach and looked around, identifying a plain tree and put a small electronic device in a hole he found in it and sliced another whole in the Veil and moved through, Diggs and Nickles looking at him in shock.

"What was that Carney, just what?" Nickles was able to stammer as Carney grinned.

"That my friends is _power_, the same power that mutt and his friends have. Stick with me an we'll destroy him and his punks, and in the end we'll be some of the people running this planet." Carney said as he looked at his cronies and decided to pull them in closer to him. _How to do this, I think I'll mention just what happened during the earthquake._ He thought as he looked at them. "The so called earthquake, that was his doing, an invasion of things like my bot that I showed you before, you don't remember because those _scum_ that the mutt joined use Creatures to wipe memories to keep them a secret."

"They did what to the whole city?!" Nickles demanded as he stared at Carney, fears about how it might have affected his memory and his how grandfather was in the hospital for the last few years because of memory problems.

"And you were part of that…Invasion?!" Diggs stammered as he looked at Carney who shrugged with a sneer on his face.

"Bastard moved before telling us, if I'd had known I would have gotten your families and the workers out. But come on, after we get the loot at the end of this I'll see about getting you guys your own tech-gantlets so you can rule your own towns at the end." Carney said to them. They looked at each other before turning to Carney with grins on their faces, fully behind Carney. "Now come on, we can head into town and hide out until whatever this is dies down!"

As they left the room they never noticed a camera in the vents overlooking the generator had been recording them an

Kamora sighed as he finished the last of the morning classes and looked towards the office as Isao came out. He seemed to be nursing his head so much that he didn't notice Kimora prompting him to call out.

"Ah Isao, everything alright in the private lesson?" Kimora asked as Isao looked up with a startled expression.

"Everything is fine, we got a reply from Master Chavez, they're on the way back." Isao said as he looked around. "Finished the last class?"

"Yes, and everything was normal. I believe you have the afternoon class, any hopefuls there?" Kimora asked as Isao grunted.

"A few, but I have to try and see what their morals are before I make any recommendations." Isao said as he looked at Kimora and sighed as he rubbed his head. "I took another book earlier, it was the personal journal of the Light Master from about one years ago, he made mention of things and Creature types I've never heard of, how and why was it all forgotten?"

"I found a section myself this morning, about _cooking_ of all things, a whole row of them! There were plants mentioned that I've never heard of, recommendation for how they would taste better for duelists based on what mana they use!" Kimora said as Isao looked at him, thinking about a few old rules he knew.

"Isn't there a rule not to eat food from the other side at all costs?" Isao asked only for Kimora to look at him.

"But how old is that rule and why was it made, that is the question my friend." Kimora said as Isao looked at him and opened his mouth and closed it as he tried to remember what he had been told about that subject.

Screams caused the two to run towards the window and stare at the carnage outside. large insect swarms were moving all over and cars were crashed here and there as people ran all over trying to get away.

"What in the name of….? Is this something that's happened before?" Isao asked as he stared in total shock.

"Never, in all my years have I ever seen anything like this before, what could have caused this?" Kimora said as he stared into the chaos.

"I saw something similar once before with wild dogs but never insects." Isao said as he stared in total horror._ I have no idea what could be behind this, I_

"We can figure out what is behind this …the kids!" Kimora exclaimed as he dashed to the door and let in Ray, Lucy, Gabe and Allie as they ran into the dojo and started to swat at what bugs followed them in.

"What happened?" Isao demanded as he slammed a fist against the window killing the last bug and

"We were at lunch when the insects, they just swarmed and started to eat everything!" Lucy said as she caught her breath. "They let the school out for the day and we figured that we should get over here."

Kimora rushed towards the wall and pressed a button, causing shutters to drop down and cover the window and door, and he released a sigh. Turning towards the others he rubbed the back of his head as he saw them staring at him.

"A security feature we put in during the repair work from the invasion, I always put it down at night, but we should get to the lower temple and see what's happening." Kimora said as he led the way towards the temple below. Ray stopped and looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face. _I was sure Nirri was following us, but why? Could she have overheard Gabe, no he was to quiet for that._ Ray thought, shaking his head before following the group down to the Temple. As the door to the office closed behind them no one was around to hear the sound of insects hitting the shutters.

"There you are two are, I was wondering where you were!" Jaha bark as Kimora led the group up the stairs towards the war room and looked towards the Panopter and saw Jaha at the top looking down at them them. "And they're here to, good! Gabriel, Isao we're losing Stalker Spheres everywhere, one of you find out their last positions now."

"Gabriel, you do that, I'll see what Battle Spheres we have left." Isao commanded as they reached the top.

They made it into the war room and saw Toji looking over Panopter's screens and stared, stepping back with a shocked expression at what he saw, gasping as he did so. Toji looked back and gave a bitter smile. "Good you're all here, this is insane. Insects all over the city are swarming together, the Stalker Spheres are showing wasps, bees, flies, ants and even cockroaches gathering together and attacking anything that moves!"

"Have any of you ever seen or heard of anything like this before?" Allie asked as she stared in shock as Gabe reached Panopter and started to call up all information on a smaller screen towards the bottom as Isao tried to take stock of the remaining spheres.

"No, I've never even heard of something like this, if something is happening across the veil usually there is only environmental damage or events. Something like this might be possible if just Megabugs are being affected but what. Perhaps I should summon Shouter, he might know what's wrong." Kamora said as he looked around the room for support for his idea.

Isao only grunted as he looked at the screens. "It's still too soon; this might just be something that's affecting this side only, a mutation or something."

"Uncle Isao, what kind of mutation could cause this?" Ray asked incredulously and Isao just sighed and looked away, a dead look in his eyes.

"Years ago, when I was just an acolyte back in Japan I once dealt with a traitor to the order who created a spell to capture dogs to experiment on them and the Order only found out after they mutated, broke free of his control and killed him! The monstrosities could command the wind to attack, were stronger and we had to kill most of the wild dog population in twenty miles to get rid of them once they started to hunt humans." Isao said as he looked at the screens, a note of revulsion and horror in his voice. "Never doubt what Mana exposure can do to life forms, with the invasion we might be seeing the last blow of the Chotten."

"'Last blow'? You mean a deadman's switch in case he lost…..no. August is too convinced of his own superiority for this to be his doing." Toji said as he shook his head. "That one was always completely sure of his eventual victory and I doubt his defeats affected him enough to have done this."

Jaha stared at the screens, her hands clenching into fists as she looked at the chaos the city was experiencing. "Toji is right this has to be the result of a beautify effect, look at how widespread it is, it's the only think that could cause this."

"But why the insects, it makes no sense! Fog for Darkness, a heatwave for Fire and flooding for Water, Growth for Nature and combined effects for conflict. We've never seen an animal or insect based bleed over!" Kimora said as he looked around, hoping anyone else had something to say that might have some insight.

Gabe listened with one ear as he called up a timeline of lost spheres and got out his laptop and started to plot the locations and times on a map program and stared at the results. _This isn't I don't…what does this?_ Gabe shook his head and looked up. "I agree, there's no way the Chotten did this, there isn't a single attack, there are multiple tracks and they start anywhere there could be large groups of insects, parks, orchards, and the stalker spheres are going down by the swarms crashing into them." Gabe said as he projected the map to Panopter and it displaced the information for everyone to see.

Ray looked up from his phone a scowl on his face. "Mom contacted me, she just saw a swarm of bees attack and kill a bird and dad said that he and grandpa just saw a swarm of beetles and bees chase a small dog."

"The swarm just attacked our food at school while the bees attacked us, the teachers to cancel school because of the fact the bugs got inside…this is escalating, isn't it?" Allie asked with a hint of horror in her voice, imagining the insects attacking and killing humans.

"No more, I'm calling…Mighty Shouter!" Kimora called out as he finished a summoning kata. From a green portal a large green humanoid elephant in a gray loincloth wielding a large tree as a club appeared through the portal in the air.

"Mighty Kimora, Shouter's tribe needs help! Even with Quilspike help Megabugs attacking everything!" Shouter bellowed as he landed and put his hands on Kimora's shoulders.

"Megabugs, their attacking the tribe, and the Quillspikes were there?!" Ray demanded as he felt fear for his friends.

"Quillspike tribe staying with Bronze-Arms while they looked for new land to colonize, Megabugs suddenly attacking all of Nature and border areas, Shouter and Dragon-Quillspike held off first attack and was trying to figure out how to call for help when Kimora summoned him." Shouter explained.

"There has to be a connection between the attacks and the swarms attacking the city, we have to

"And we have to help the Bronze-Arm tribe and the Quillspikes!" Ray said as he put his hand on Shouter's arm, Kimora, Gabe, Allie and Lucy doing the same.

"Wait we need to plan!" Isao said as Kimora banished Mighty Shouter, causing him and those touching him to return to where Shouter had been before Kimora had called for him. "Is Raiden's recklessness contagious?"

Jaha and just chuckled and turned to looked at the screens. "Sometimes I wonder about that. I'll contact the other students and have them stay home, with luck Kimora and the others will handle the problem, for now let us see what happening out there."

Alexander and Vivianna had just finished a small tour of the factory and retired to a security office overlooking the floor when the insect had started their rampage. Viviana had looked over the screens with a look on incomprehension as she tried and failed to understand just what she was seeing. "What is this….I don't….."

Alexander looked at her before turning towards the few security cameras' his factory had repaired and scowled. "So this a normal, what did he call it, butterfly effect?" He asked before he pinched his noises. _And I just called insect swarms attacking_ _the city normal, god is this my reality?_ He thought as Viviana shook her head and gestured towards the screen.

"NO! When the butterfly effect happens it's because the mana targets the elements because of the unifying mana, but this, it's just targeting insects!" Viviana exclaimed as she gestured towards the screens._ I saw the data about the prevuis spillover effects he cataloged, but this is so different, I didn't even think it was possible to target the effect, the possibilities this might open up._ She thought as she looked at the data "I didn't think this was even possible."

"It is, and by what I can see perhaps it might be best to wait here until it ends….." Alexander trailed off as the sound of a veil breach caused both of them to look at each other before they each put on their Tech-Gauntlets and running towards it. Exiting the room they saw a small veil breach and three green covered Tech-Minions coming out, all three wounded with blood staining their cloths as they back away from the breach. "What the fuck did you morons lead to my factory!?"

As soon as Alexander bellowed from the breech came two giant green praying mantis with wings with red spots on them came through the breach, and Alexander was disgusted to see one had a green clad human leg sticking out of its mouth. Sharing a look with each other both Alexander and Viviana nodded and threw out their Gauntlet covered hands.

"Feral Sabertooth, Evolved!/ Thunder Guardian Gra Gora!" Alexander and Viviana bellowed as their gauntlets formed two portals and from the portals came a large four armed orange furred biped tiger wearing a steel open helmet with two straight horns on head and two saber like fangs in its mouth wearing a green tunic with red shoulder armor with two horns and a spiked band around each of its four waists, its hands ending in extended claws. From Viviana's portal came a silvery mechanical bat with black metal along the edges of its wings and a white visor where its eyes would be. It had three black gems set in a triangle formation in its chest and three more on its back in the exact same position with lines leading from the top gems to the head and the bottom two had lines leading to its wings.

"What. Happened?" Alexander demanded as he directed his creature at the two Megabugs.

"We were heading for the coordinates to cut through the Veil when those things hit us from below, our leader tried to leave us to die and the bastard got eaten! We were lucky I had a spare horn 'cause that bastard was supposed to have the only one!" One of the Tech-minions said as he panted and looked on as Gra Gora fired a black blast form its mouth that sent one of the mantis back.

"What about the supplies, what happened to them." Viviana demanded and Alexander felt a smile grow on his face

"We had a single transport sled with two platforms, when they caused the sled to crash the platforms were taken out right after." One of the other Tech-Minions said as he clutched his arm. "We left it about half a mile back there, those things were much on their own but the others that backed 'em up were the real threat!"

"'Others?' What others?!" Alexander demanded as a screech came from the breech and shadows could be seen beyond. "Ohh, them. Think that overgrown bat of yours can back me up against them?"

Viviana laughed and smiled as she flexed her gauntlet covered hand and her Thunder Guardian fired a bolt of electricity into the portal. "Oh sir, the two of use will probably hand more of them then you and your fuzzy kitten."

Ray looked around as the banishment faded and they were in the Nature civilization, the Bronze-Arm Tribe villiage and stared in horror as Lucy gasped as Allie stared and Gabe moaned as Kimora started to look conflicted on having brought the kids along. The trees that the Bronze-Arms used as their communal structure had been damaged and all around the area was sighs of battle and wounded Bronze-Arms or Quillspikes. _This is terrible, just completely terrible. Okay what did dad teach you, 'always look at the battlefield and don't be tricked by emotions.' So the way the damage says that there were attacked suddenly and the wounded are moving towards that location so that means that...there!_ Ray thought as he looked around.

Allie looked around and had a flashback of her dream before shaking her head and slapping both sides of her face._ Get it together Allison, you promised yourself you'll be stronger than this, and I'm going to be! I know Lucy studied the healing spell, she can help me treat them while the others find out how to stop the bugs back home._ Allie thought as she nodded and grabbed Lucy's arm. "You go find out what happened, Lucy you said you had brushed up on the healing spell, right?" Allie said as she pulled Lucy towards the wounded. Ray looked at her as she and Lucy left and turned to Gabe and Master Kimora who looked after them before coughing.

"Of course, you do that. We need to find the chieftain or Lady Headstrong, now where could either of them be?" Kimora asked as he looked around.

"Come on, Chief Thorn-Bringer should be over there, at least I think so." Ray said as he led the way away from the edge of the 'village'.

"Shouter will check perimeter, Might Kimora please come and help Shouter after talk with Chieftain." Shouter said before moving away from them. Kimora looked around and frowned. _I've only been back here before with Shouter a few times before the evolution bomb, but something is wrong, I don't know what but it's there._ Kimora thought as he looked around, trying to figure out what had set him off. He looked up and saw two of the green humanoid horse Bronze Arms standing, holding spears that were crossed over a doorway to block access and both looked at them and nodded at Ray as he revealed the Bronze-Arm mark on his arm, letting them pass.

Inside a large red humanoid beast with two sleek steel colored horns from its checks and three green dots above its eyes set against its dark red skin, orange hair-quills from its hair and upper arms wearing a dress of large leaves talking with a large dark brown wooden totem with unconnected floating limbs with a white skull 'face' with horns pointing up and brownish red hair. They were standing before a table with a map of the local area on it, both of them trying to figure something out, around them more of the humanoid horses and other Quillspikes stood around, listening to their leaders.

"…..and once your son is back we'll know what's happening around us, then we can…..You're here, Might Shouter was successful then?" The Totem said causing the humanoid beast to turn and smile when she saw Ray and the others walk into the room.

The three of them bowed and Kimora stepped forward. "Greetings to you, Headstrong Wanderer and Chief Thorn Bringer, sadly whatever happened here has also affected our Realm."

"It what, how could what happened have affected the lost world!?" Headstrong Wanderer demanded as she looked at them in shock.

"Well, all of a sudden insects, small Megabugs started to swarm and feed on anything they could find, before Master Kimora summoned Shouter the insects started to attack small animals and birds, what exactly happened?" Gabe asked as Chief Thorn Bringer 'released' a sigh and bowed its body.

"Everything was going smoothly. Our lands were the least affected by the Chotten's water strike so we were elected for refugee housing and procession. Tatsurion the Unchained had come into the village last night and I was able to get him to agree to help find a permanent settlement for his tribe." Chief Thorn Bringer began as it floated before them. "I was about to go with him and his mother towards a possible site when my Cooper Locust suddenly started to go wild and attack us, and then the other Megabugs joined in, those who tamed them tried to calm them down, but they all failed and even that Quillspike was even thrown from the Dragonfly he rides."

The flapping of wings caused them to turn and see Tatsurion landing outside and moving into the room, stopping when he noticed the humans.

"You're here, good. It's worse than we thought, I saw Megabugs rampaging or moving away from here as fast as they could. I was able to catch up to a family of Xeno-Mantis, they said something was screaming at them in their minds." Tatsurion said as he looked at his mother before turning his haunted eyes towards Ray. "It sounded like what happened to me when Skycrusher used the Fire Artifact to try and make me kill you and Allie."

"An artifact that control Megabugs, impossible, how could it even come from?" Kimora said as he stared, thinking about everything he knew about the Nature civilization. _The Shield of Unity is the only thing that can control large numbers of Nature creatures and why would it only affect_

"No, it is possible. With the way the land is changing it makes sense." Chief Torn Bringer said as he looked towards a map. "If that one was alive all this time and the growth has caused whatever realm it had to merge with the land, then it makes sense."

"What are you talking about, who could be behind this?"

"The Hivelord." Chief Torn Bringer said, as soon as he said the name the Bronze Arms and Quillspikes stepped backwards and most shivered, others were struck dumb and even Tatsurion looked shocked at what the Spirit Totem had revealed.

"What are you talking about, the Hiverlord is just a bedtime fable, it never existed!" Tatsurion growled as he looked at Chief Torn Bringer as his mother spoke up.

"Bare…. Tatsurion is right, that one is just a story, a myth!" Headstrong Wanderer exclaimed as Chief Thorn Bringer released a dark chuckle.

"Then the work the Almighty Colossus commanded of us Spirit Totems so long ago was successful." Chief Thorn Bringer's words caused everyone to look at him in shock.

"Why would he have ordered that done?" Kimora asked, his own studies about Almighty Colossus shown a strong and brave leader who wouldn't back down and a will that strived to conquer others.

"The Hivelord was…is a threat from before the worlds were split and the Nations were unified, a monster that had been tortured and its mind broken into a weapon. That one and others were locked away or escaped; the fact that we had the Shield of Unity was the only way that we had been able to break the control that monster had of the its forces, it must be week, that's the only reason that the sentient Megabugs could have escaped."

"So we just need to find this Hivelord and take it down right and take away what its using to control the other Megabugs." Ray said only for the other Creatures to look down and away. "What, what's wrong with that plan?"

"I agree with young Raiden, if this Hivelord is responsible for the swarms back on our side of the Veil then

"Living City." Tatsurion interrupted Kimora flatly.

"The Hivelord's artifact can control Living Cities, makes sense since their bugs too but doesn't that make it easier to find?" Gabe asked only for Tatsurion to shake his head.

"No, the Hiverlord is a Living City." Tatsurion said simply causing Kimora to start to stutter as Ray and Gabe's mouths dropped open.

"More specify it's a Living City Hybrid." Chief Thorn Bringer explained as the others turned to look at it. "And how it control the Megabugs…we never knew exactly but its favorite tactic was to send its slave to attack and then use ranged fire to take out the slaves and what they were fighting."

"How do you know so much…..you fought it, you lived on earth before the Veil was cast." Kimora breathed as he looked at Chief Thorn Bringer in awe.

"All of the elder Spirit Totems were around back then, I fought in the Rebellion before the war and helped Almighty Colossus solidify his control over those who use Nature mana." Chief Thorn Bringer.

"It doesn't matter what this Hivelord is, we stop it and

"But how do we kill a Living City?" One of the Bronze-arms asked a Quillspike next to him as the creatures around started to mutter among themselves. Ray shard a look with Gabe and Kimora and both of them looked back at him and shrugged. Suddenly the sound of crashes and screams of fear and pain caused everyone to turn towards the door, Tatsurion grabbing Ray and putting him on his back as he ran out the door into chaos.

Allie stood by a stricken Bronze Arm laying on the ground and held a glowing hand towards him as he breathed heavily with his eyes closed. After a few moments his breathing cleared up and he opened his eyes.

"Take it easy, I just shared a little mana with you. Stay down and let the tribe's healer look you over before you do anything, okay?" Allie said before he nodded and smiled at her. She nodded towards his minder and moved out of the chamber, moving towards the next room and the next injured patient. When she and Lucy hand made it to the healer's hut he had laughed and sent them to use the spells from the red rooms down, something Lucy had called Triage.

As she moved into the room she saw a Quillspike with light orange quills and squarish horns going from its checks and another short pair of spikes from under its eyes and a horn from the center of its brow standing over a Quillspike with deep red quills and spikes demo under its eyes to going to alongside its mouth.

"Come on Razor, you've gotta get better. If you leave us, think how mom and Barebottom will react." The standing Quilspike said as

"Wait, is that you Prickback? What happened to Razorhide?" Allie asked causing Prickleback to turn and see her.

"You're a friend of Barebottom's, aren't you Kllie or something?" Prickleback asked as Allie moved closer and held a glowing hand to Razorhide.

"Allie, what happened? I know that it had to do with bugs but what happened." Allie said as she sent Razorhide some mana.

"I don't know, I mean ever since I flew when that Eartheater attacked the village I couldn't get it out of my mind. So I went out and tamed a Three-eye after the Water attack, and it was great!" Prickleback said as Razorhide moaned. "I was able to scout around and find more survivors of the tribe and brought 'em back here. Then each and every one of the Megabugs just started to go crazy! Razorhide was hurt when he pushed me outa the way of a blast of some kinda liquid from the Chief's Copper Locus and he went down."

Allie finished the spell and thought of that advanced spell Kimora had taught them after Gabe had been possibly poisoned when they were hunting Bloodmane and cast it, a spell to let her know what was wrong with him. "Your bros fine Prickle, if I'm casting this right it was just knockout venom that he got hit with, with the boost I gave him he'll be up by nightfall."

Prickleback let tears of relief fall. "Thank you Allie, thank you."

"No problem, but what caused the bugs to go wild?" Allie asked. Prickleback only sighed and looked down.

"I don't know, it's like that old story about the Living City that could controlled Megabugs, kinda like the Shield of Unity, that monster that fought Almighty Colossus." Prickleback said causing Allie to look at him.

"Bed time stories, really?" Allie asked as Prickleback chuckled lightly.

"I didn't say I believed it could have been real, but that's the only thing that even makes sense." Prickleback admitted before the sounds of screams came from outside. "What now?!"

"Stay here and protect the wounded, I'll check it out!" Allie said as she ran towards the sound and left Pickleback who followed her out into the hallway and looked after her before Razorhide moaned softly.

Allie looked around as she reached the outside and saw medium sized blue Megabugs with four limbs and two wings buds on their back with three horns on each one. They were attacking the Bronze Arms with large green mantis and three giant blue beetles with three horns point left, right and down firing blasts at the fleeing Beastkin beyond the battle line. As she tried to figure out what to do rockets flew at the beetles and she looked towards where they had come from and saw Tatsurion flying towards the battle with Ray on his back. Ray formed a shield and blocked a blast from one of the beetles and Tatsurion fired a blast of fire that burned on of the green mantis and the others fell back with a screech. As Tasturian charged the Megabugs Allie saw Kimora running towards the battle with Gabe and the others from the War Room.

"Scaradorable of Gloo!" Allie began before suddenly silk wrapped around her and she fell to the ground. As she tried to struggle free she felt hard claws grab her body and lift her upwards before she felt something prick her and she fell asleep.

"Allie!" Lucy called out as soon as she saw Allie being lifted into the air by a bee like creature with golden cyborg parts and four thrusters on its side in an X formation pointing downward with a claw where its stinger should be and a two barreled torrent on its back. Lucy could only watch in horror as Allie was taken away.

"Skull Cutter! Evolve!" Lucy called out as soon as the creature appeared she shot the spell at it. _Fly, fly you must fly!_ She thought as the spell hit Skull Cutter which grew twice its size and it's cloak flowed to become membrane between wings that grew from its wings as its mouth grew a muzzle with as the spike on its head changed direction and pointed forward.

Skull Cutter started running forward and jumped into the air and flew after the cyborg bee as two others of the cyborg creatures stop Skull Cutter from chasing down Allie's captor. Skull Cutter screeched and fired a black crescent from its horn that cut through one side of the thrusters of one the creatures and it crashed to the ground, firing bolts of mana at Skull Cuter before it crashed into Skull Cutter, and sending both of them to the ground where the cyborg exploded and banished Skull Cutter.

"NO!" Lucy called as she saw Allie being carried away from the village. "Ray's not going to like this."

A cry caused her to turn and see the fallen cyborg with its turret pointing at her with a quill driven through its head, Prickleback having it in his hands and looking at her.

Ray looked about the battle as Tatsurion slammed another of the blue Megabugs back as Bronze Arm tribesmembers forced them back and Quillspikes fired volleys of quills over head as the Megabugs tried to push forward added by golden cyborg bees. _What are they after, this doesn't make sense! Think Raiden, think. Dad said that every action has an end goal, a purpose, so what are they…._ Ray thought as he looked around and went still as he saw Shouter slam a tree trunk into one of the cyborg bees, smashing it to pieces and he went still when he saw Shouter led a small child Bronze Arm away from the battle. "Their trying to get captives, why?"

"Why doesn't matter, we just have to destroy them!" Tatsurion said as he threw one of his chains at a low flying Three-eyed Dragonfly and used it as a weight to smash one of the beetles. _This is just like the tale, could that Totem be right, has the Hivelord returned?_ He thought as Shouter joined in the Megabugs started to retreat, some of them carrying Beastkin in their claws.

Kimora looked as the Megabugs flew away, his face visibly pained as he saw they had failed to stop the attack. "What could they have been after, why did they take

"Shouter saw Megabugs carrying off tribe members, some Quillspikes too." Shouter said as he joined Ray and the others.

"Then it has to have been the those they had taken, if they carry them then when their mana's drop they won't be banished back to us." Chief Thorn Bringer said, Ray was about to speak up when he heard something that stopped him in his tracks.

"They got Allie!" Ray went cold as he turned and saw Lucy running towards them, her face aghast.

"What do you mean, they got Allie!?" Ray demanded as he jumped off Tatsurion and rushed to Lucy.

"They attacked the healer's hut, Allie got wrapped up by a Three-Eyed Dragonfly and then this golden cyborg bee grabbed her. I tried to save her but two more of the cyborgs stopped Skull Cutter from reaching her, one of them even crashed and exploded!" Lucy said as the others stared at her.

"Takers, then this is the Hiverlord after all." Chief Thorn Bringer said as the others looked at him.

"Takers?" Gabe asked as the Spirit Totem leaned down and gained an aura of sadness.

"They were the forces of that thing that took captives, and the Strikers and the rare Breaker were the worse of the monsters forces." Chief Thorn Bringer. "Your friend is in great danger, those taken rarely escape."

Ray felt a desire to get back on Bob and fly after them but his dad's lessons kept him grounded._ He said never act rashly when lives are at stake, think clearly, what do you have to work with, identify your resources first then make a plan. There's Bob, the tribe and his family, Lucy, Master Kimora and Gabe. _Ray thought as he looked around and made a plan.

"Lucy, were any of the cyborgs parts still here?" Ray asked, causing Lucy to nod and him to turn to Gabe. "We need Gargle Gabe, fast."

"Gargle, why would we…..I get it!" Gabe said as he activated his gauntlet and quickly did a summoning kata. "Reef Prince Glu-urrgle!"

"G-Gabriel, what's up my dude!" Gargle said as he landed and looked around. "In Nature server, where's Allie?"

"She was kidnapped, I know you're not a doctor but we, I need you to look at a cyborg bug." Ray said as Gargle looked at him. "Please Gargle, we need you

"Basically we need you to identify if something is being transmitted to it and if we can track it." Gabe said as Gargle muttered to himself and nodded.

"Allie gaming buddy, sure dudes!" Gargle said as Ray sighed.

"We need to gather all the destroyed cyb…metal bugs so our little friend can use them to find where they took their captives, we can gather by the healers hut." Kimora said

Allie drowsily woke back to conciseness and saw that she was in a golden cell with a trough at the far end and bars close enough to keep a creature in but a human could slip through the empty spaces between them at the front of the cell. "Where am I….The village! That thing that got me, it took me here, wherever here is."

She said as she struggled free from the remains of the silk wrapped around her and looked down at it, grabbing a bit she rolled into a ball._ I think I'd better take this with me, if we can learn anything from this._ She thought before she squeezed herself through the bars and looked about, seeing that she was in a chamber with six cells that was made from the same golden material with crystal that lit up the room. As she looked around she felt that she had seen the construction style before but she couldn't remember where.

"Time to get out of here." Allie said before she activated her gauntlet. "Scaradorable of Gloomhollow!"

After a few minutes she saw the summoning had failed and looked around, shocked and scared. "Okay, this place is summoning proof, fine; I can deal with this, time to get out of here on my own then."

She looked around before she chose a direction and started to move, hoping she was going the right way. She passed by a few cells with what looked like the skeletons of Creatures in them and swallowed, hoping that they were old. As she moved she stopped when a green light flared in every cell and after a while it died before a brown mushy paste flowed into the troughs she could see.

"What is this place, I mean I'm getting flashbacks to the Chotten's ship for some reason." Aliie said as she finally reached a golden doorway at the far end with a keyboard on its right side and started to examine it and took stock of what she had, the key board had fiyr rows of buttons going 'down' six levels and what she had, well. _Okay what do you have Allie, makeup kit, keys nail file….nail file, perfect!_ She thought as she pulled out her file and used it to pray open the keyboard and saw a wire leading towards the door. "Okay, that might be either the power for the door or the keyboard, looks like this place has a specific lock maybe a security key so I don't have one of those, gotta hope I can force the doors open when I do this."

She moved her file through the wire and the door opened with a spark. She stared at it and moved one of the doors easily and stared in shock. "Or the wire keeps the doors locked."

Moving through the door she looked around and saw that she had entered a long hallway lit by the same crystals and as she tried to figure out where to go she heard a voice roaring to the right. "Scum tho don't deserve to stand on this pass of the Circle! Free me filth and meet my wraith!"

"Don't take all the fight brother, I'm sure the others want to join in too!" Another voice called out as.

Allie looked towards the voices and saw a damaged door with a light above it and looked back and forth. _Okay, strange voices but the way their talking their captives too, so strength in numbers. _She thought as she moved towards the broken door. Peaking inside she saw a copy of the chamber she had been in before and there were two black furry hands around the bars of the third cell on the right.

"Hey you two, the jailers aren't around here right?" Allie called out as the two in the cells went silent.

"No, are you of the Rebellion human?" the first voice asked as Allie moved into the room and looked at the keyboard set against the wall. It was like the one in the cellblock she had been in

Allie frowned as she looked at the tech and tried to figure out who to use it to open the cells. "I'm with the Duel Masters, I was helping out a village of Beastkin when I was taken, who are you?"

"Duel Masters? I'm Grokcis of the Ironback Tribe, that's Sorgix of the Leochargers. Get us out of here and we'll work on escaping this damn Living City!" The second voice said as Allie looked at the buttons and went still as she realized just _what_ he had said caused her to stare around her, a hint of shock as she realized she was _in_ a hybrid.

Ray scowled as he used a knife to cut at the cyborgs head and exposed more of the mechanical parts. Once they had reached the corpse Gargle had gone to look at the exploded one and he and taken a look at the more intact one and started to take it apart with a knife Chief Thorn Bringer had handed him.

"I'm so glad we had dissection in bio a few weeks ago!" Gabe said as he looked at the bloody machine and turned to Kimora. "Master Kimora, is there a shower back at the temple?"

"And dry cleaners to get the smell out of your clothes, I'll drop you off at home once you've all had a good wash." Kimora promised before looking at one of the exploded parts in disbelief. "If I din't know better I would say that this is Light Tech, but a cyborg like this?"

Gargle started to make noise as he looked at the mechanisms he was examine in excitement.

"These parts for visual upgrade! Let user see mana signature! Damaged wire leading to something, got head removed so Gargle can check other source?" Gargle asked before accepting the bloody mess from Ray and started to look it over.

"Mana, they were after mana, that's why they kidnapped them, but why Allie, she doesn't have a Creatures Mana signature?" Gabe mused before Kimora coughed.

"Actually…. It is said that after you do the spell of healing you 'look' like a creature for a while, to those who use mana to see, but why would they…. The Chotten." Kimora whispered as he went still and shared a look with Ray and Gabe who opened their mouths as they realized what he meant.

"What do you mean, what about that monster?" Headstrong Wanderer demanded and Tatsurion explained.

"A while back he kidnapped creatures to drain their mana, I was caught and he drained me until I was banished. It was a long time ago." Tatsurion reassured his mother as his brother growled.

"Bastard takes creatures to drain their mana, and tries to use them as weapons, he deserves death." Pickleback said with a snarl as the Creatures around him muttered their agreement. Gabe looked around and shared a look with Master Kimora and both looked towards Ray and Tatsurion, but the both of them merely nodded silently, something that bothered Gabe.

"This is troubling. Back then we saw the Hivelord as a mobile prison and weapon platform for its masters, we always wondered why the prison. A friend once theorized it was to keep us from attacking it, using them as living shields. If they were power sources instead…" Chief Thorn Bringer said as they looked at each other as they realized what the

"Ammo, that's what they were after." Kimora exclaimed as the creatures around stared at the corpse Ray was still dissecting. He looked up from his work and sighed before moving away from it looking around for something to dry off with.

"Network identified; location of mainframe that way!" Gargle reported from looking over the cyborg parts and pointed in the opposite direction the Megabugs had carried their captives.

"It was able to fly, so a plan like this have been possible, in fact it makes sense." Chief Thorn Bringer said. "I remember going to a few destroyed camps where the destruction started in the back."

"Then let's go! We can't leave that thing in a position to grow stronger right!" Prickleback said with a growl as he slammed his right fist against the hut wall as Creatures around him growled their agreements and Tatsurionjoined in and when they turned towards where the Hiverlord was hiding Ray joined them. Headstrong Wanderer looked at them before sharing a look with Chief Thorn Bringer.

"Wait, all of you!" Chief Thron Bringer called out. "I agree with your idea but you all can't go!"

"He's right, all of you stop! Our lost ones are there, but we can't leave this place defenseless!" Headstrong Wanderer said as Gabe looked at Gargle who gestured towards the remains and

"Me and Gargle will stay back, I think he can do something with these cyborg parts." Gabe said as he and Gargle moved towards the parts and started to investigate them, Gabe taking out his laptop and starting to type away as Gargle and started to take the canon apart.

"Shouter will come, Might Kimora come to?" Shouter asked as Kimora looked at Gabe. _He can do the Breach Kata on his own, Allie was captive and Ray won't leave her captive._ He thought before he nodded.

"I'll go to, I have a debt owed to the Hivelord." Chief Thorn Bringer said before he turned towards his hut. "I've saved a special spear, let me get it and I'll be ready to go, Headstrong Wanderer I trust you to pick those stay, everyone chosen gather weapons, this will be a hard battle."

As the Spirit Totem walked off Headstrong Wanderer looked at him before looking around at the Creatures, waiting for her decision.

"Prickleback, Ba…_Tatsurion _and his partner, the Shaman Might Shouter and his partner and those who have partners among the Megabugs will go, the rest will stay and defend!"

At his hut Chief Thorn Bringer walked towards the back and removed a hanging scroll and revealed a small box. Taking it out he put the box down and opened it, revealing a necklace with a crystal, a chitin shard, a symbol of the Nature Realm, a claw and a fang in that order next to a green gemstone.

"My friends, where ever you are I hope you look at this with joy and send well wishes, I go to end the scourge that took so many of us." Chief Thorn Bringer said as he put his hand on the gemstone and channeled his mana into his hand and a large crimson spear with a green crystal head appeared next to the box. As he moved his hand to pick the spear up he never noticed some of his channeled mana went into the chitin shard. He picked up the spear and closed the box and moved back towards the others, ready to finally finish an old nightmare.

A few minutes later Tasturion charged with Ray on his back as he led five of the Bronze-Arms tribe, five Quilspikes, Shouter running next to Prickleback while Kimora and Chief Thorn Bringer rode Lars, Virtuous Imager; a saucer shaped creature of the Light Civilization with a holographic projector on its back and two energy cannons under a neck that ended in a sharp beak with controls behind it.

"I'm sorry you had to use your mana to summon the Light Creature, I'm not very fast." Chief Thorn Bringer admitted as Kimora chuckled.

"As one like that, don't worry. Lars will at least let us hopefully sneak up on anything that's watching, and it beats running!" Kimora said as he piloted Lars after the group

Allie looked around and led the way down hallway and looked for any other lights above the doors as they moved through the Living City. _Okay, I don't know where the other captive Creatures are but I think I know how to find them, just got to find a light and hope for the best. At least I have some friends to help me._ she thought as she looked behind her at the two Creatures she had released, Grokics and Sorgix. Grokis was a gorilla the size of Tasturion who wore black chest armor, black gauntlets and a blue loincloth while Sorgis was a lion centaur the same size with black armor on his chest and legs, a bow with no string in his hands as he looked around, trying to see if any of the bee cyborgs they had called them Takers were around.

"Stay close child, if they take you then you might be taken to the human cells, then we might not be able to find you." Grokics said as he followed behind her and Allie scoffed a little as she moved on. _I get the idea that their stronger than me but I've wielded the Cloak of Dark Illusions and I was there when the Monarchs were freed, I can handle myself. _She thought as she looked ahead and saw a light above one of the doors three rows away.

"There, if we're lucky then that door could have the other prisoners, whatever's draining them could do without a lot of batteries." Allie said as

"I don't know what you mean by batteries but I get the point, anything to stop this thing is a good thing." Sorgix said as he dashed past her and opened the door. Allie went after him and saw the same layout as the other rooms and three Bronze-Arms and five Quillspikes in the cells. As Allie opened the cells all but two of the Quillspikes and all the Bronze-Arms were able to get out of the cells before a light shinned down and the two Quillspikes collapsed to the floor half I nand out of the cell before a gong sounded as the lights went red.

"That must mean it knows we're here! We'll handle them, you all protect the human and stay back all of you!" Grokis said as Sorgix dashed forwards towards the door. Allie followed after him and when he saw him

"This isn't my first rodeo boys, trust me I've dealt with a lot of things like the Monarchs attacking and fighting in the Null Zone! At the least I can act as a shield for a while."

Grokics and Sorgix looked at each other before both saying at the same time. "The who and where?" Grokis asked causing the Creatures, even the drained ones to stare at him in total shock.

Allie stopped and looked back at them staring in total shock. "You are kidding, right? The Null Zone, the place that drains mana at the center of the Realms, and the Monarchs, the leaders of all Creatures?"

"We just have clan leaders and alliances between them….wait. how long have we been asleep?" Sorgix asked before they heard a screeching coming from the doorway. "Tell us later!"

Ray looked around as Tasturion charged through the forest, his rage still there but he was controlling it. _Keep it together Ray, you'll save Allie…and the others captives. Just hold on, we're almost there, just hold on! _Ray thought as Tasturion led the way as the others followed.After a while Tasturion slowed down and started to sniff the air, growling as he looked around.

"Bob what is it?" Ray asked as the party caught up to them as Kimora piloted Lars to hover within hearing distance.

"I can smell a lot of bugs around here, and the scent of a Living City of some kind, it's here." He growled as the others looked around.

"Shouter remembers this place, but remember being only one mountain there." Shouter said as he pointed towards the mountains in the distance. As they turned towards the mountain they heard a screech as suddenly ten more of the blue Megabugs attacked from the forest around them.

"Trapdoor Tunnelers, keep them back!" Kimora called out before Shouter screamed and shot a sonic blast that sent the Trapdoor Tunnelers away as five Three-Eyed Dragonflys came from the right firing blasts from their third eyes.

Tasturion fired rockets at them and flared his wings and took off into the air and gained altitude before looking towards the living city. Ray's breath caught in his throat as he finally saw what was behind the attack; it was a least half as tall as Almighty Colossal and it looked like it had golden metal built into the carapace of the Living City, the parts a solid gold. The head had hour mandibles in an x formation below its single mechanical eye. It had three legs on each side ending in spheres and along the sides of the shell were opening that led into it and it had three gun turrets on its flat back, each one had one barrel and one was slowly turning towards the village.

"Bob it's trying to barrage the villiage, we've got to stop it!" Ray said as he held on and Tasturion flew towards the Hivelord as five more of the Takers shot out of the openings in the Hivelord and flew at them as other Megabugs up from around the Living City. Tasturion breathed a bolt of fire and burned the first one that came at them and dodged energy bolts fired at them. Most of the Megabugs flew towards their friends but the rest of them hovered between them and the turret. Ray scowled as he looked at the Megabugs and tried to figure out how to get around them when a Taker flew at them, its claw extended to grapple with Tasturion when suddenly missiles flew in the right suddenly and hit the Taker, sending it down to the ground as Ray looked towards where they had come from and saw Masters Hector and Nadia coming towards them riding Draglide as he flew towards him and Tasturion.

"Ray what are you doing here and what's that!?" Master Hector demanded as flew closer to Tasturion.

"It's some kinda hybrid form before the Veil, it's able to control Megabugs like The Shield of Unity and Allie's in there, it took her!" Ray called out as Tasturion fired missles at a Cooper Locus that was charging at them. "Master Kimora's down there with Shouter, Prickleback and help from the Bronze-Arms and Quillspikes to get back those that thing took!"

"That still doesn't explain why you're here in the first place!" Nadia exclaimed as a Three-eyed Dragonfly came at them and Tasturion breathed fire at it, sending it away.

"Or why whatever this is would take prisoners!" Hector said as he looked at the Hiverlord and saw the turrets on its back and noticed movement from one of them._ That can't be a Light hybrid, this thing was made for war….this doesn't make sense!_ He thought as he watched the Megabugs swarm towards them.

"There was a beautify effect, insects started to attack everything in San Champion, and it took them to use their mana as ammo!" Ray called out as Tasturion went down as Draglide went up to dodged a blue flying crab.

Nadia looked at the battle taking place and saw the glint of cyborg ants coming towards where she thought the others were and frowned. _We can't leave Master Kimora alone, we have to help him and Hector and Gilaflame_ _will be more useful there, I'll go with them help Ray._ She thought as she squeezed Hector to get his attention. "Drop me onto Tasturion and go help Kimora, I'll work with Ray and free the prisoners!"

Hector looked at her and nodded, coming to the same conclusions she had and flew above Tastuion and Nadia dropped next to Ray before Hector and Draglide flew towards the rescue party.

"Master Nadia!?" Ray called out as he turned his head and saw her on Tasturion's back.

"Hector can help the others more, we have to worry about the hostiges first, and that cannon!" Nadia said Tasturion fired a rocket at the moving canon but a Taker intercepted it and fell to the ground.

"It's too protected; we have to go in and try to take this thing down or out!" Ray said as Tasturion growled as he angled towards one of the openings. As Nadia and Ray got off Tasturion's back he fired rockets at some of the Takers flying towards them and Nadia activated her gauntlet.

"Aqua Chaser, Rusalka!" Nadia said as she summoned Rusalka, a large blue flying eel with a purple crest and five green tentacles as part of its green 'beard' with two flippers just hind its head. As Rusalka floated Nadia smiled and sent what she knew to it telapathicly and Rusalka's eyes widened a little before it looked around with a hint of rage in its movements sent a bolt of psychic energy at the Takers. "We have to find the captives, Rusalka can you find their minds?"

Before Rusalka could even move or send a message to Nadia Ray looked around and paled. "Those must be the Strikers and Breakers Thorn Bringer spoke about."

"What are you talking….Oh." Nadia said as she turned and paled in freight. Before them were stacked rows of Creatures immobile in racks, the vast majority were the size of Tasturion and were golden Cyborg black ants, each had a single golden cybernetic eye above two golden mandibles on its head with a single barreled turret on its back, they had six legs ending in spherical structures and their end had a duel thruster assemble on it. Next to them were giant cyborg stag beetles bigger then Tasturion with three cybernetic eyes on their head bellow a two pronged horn, they had four beast like metal legs with a three barreled turret on their backs. Each of the cyborgs were connected to the racks above them by a wire and claw that held them in place with ten of the smaller cyborgs to five of the big ones in ranks of ten each.

"This is isn't a mobile gun platform, this is a carrier and this is…..!" Ray went silent as he realized just what the Hiverlord was.

"An army, and this thing must want the captive as fuel, we have to save them, this could be worse than the Chotten." Nadia said as they looked around for a way deep in and Ray paled in freight as he realized something.

"Where are the Takers, the cyborg bees?" Ray asked as Tasutiron and Nadia looked at the cyborgs and realized what Ray _hadn't_ seen.

"They must be in other hangers, but where could these things have come from? Why haven't we even heard about this thing before?" Nadia asked as they moved through the rakes of cyborgs and finally found a large double door that led in. "Think it won't have an alarm?"

Tasturion looked at her before he roared and engulfed himself in flames before he crashed through the doors, a siren sounding as they broke. "No."

Back with the rescue party ground Prickleback led the other Quillspikes in firing their quills at the Megabugs as Shout led the Bronze Arms in beating back the Tunnelers as Chief Thorn Bringer tried to aim his spear at the Hivelord's eye. As more of the Megabugs attacked Kimora looked at the battle and scowled. _This is terrible! I had hoped we could slip by the brainwashed Megabugs but this! We need a miracle to make it through this! _He thought as Lars fired and dropped a Three-eyed Dragonfly that had been trying to attack from the right.

Shouter slammed his club into a Launcher Locust and panted as he looked at Prickleback who's rate of fire had dropped. "Quillspikes not lasting, Shouter now know why you not warriors!" He said causing Prickleback to laugh a little.

"What about you shaman, are ready you to stop? Me personally I could do this all day!" He said as he fired more spikes at the Megabugs and roared as from the forest ten of the black ant Cyborgs charged out.

"Strikers! If a full army with Breaker support comes we will die. There is no other possibility." Chief Thorn Bringer said solemly. "We would need a force ten times this size to even have a chance."

Suddenly a wall of flame blocked the Strikers and suddenly Gilaflame appeared and charged at the Megabugs between the fire and the Beastkin as Hector appeared at the left side of the battle.

"Hector and Gilaflame, perfect! If we can control where our foes come from we might have a chance!" Kimora said as Chief Thorn-Bringer shook his head_._

"Look." The Chief said as the Strikers charge through the flames reinforce with five more but two of them fell to the ground, leaving only eight of them that charged at the Nature Creatures. "They are slaves with no will or sense of self, monsters that thing controls utterly."

Before Kimora could react to this information a bolt of energy suddenly hit Lars and Kimora and Chief Thorn-Bringer jumped off before they could be banished with it. As he landed Kimora rolled and raised his gauntlet to block an energy bolt from a Striker before one of Prickleback's quills pierced its eye and it fell to the ground. As Shouter roared and hit another Striker coming towards Kimora something happened that changed the tide of battle.

"SCREEE!" A buzzing screech sounded and caused the rescue team to turn and see a colossal tan colored insect with white wings with two eye spots on the underside at the front of its wings and two bronze feelers with from its white head. As it flew over the Megabugs it released a glowing powder that caused those it hit to hover in place, glowing as they

"Is that?" Kimora asked in awe as he looked from the ground as Hector reached him with Chief Thorn Bringer as the Nature Creatures released roars of joy at the reinforcement.

"Lepidos the Ancient. I haven't seen him in centuries!" Chief Thorn-Bringer said as he helped Kimora back to his feet.

"Lepidos the Ancient?" Kimora asked in awe as he looked up at the Megabug fly and fire twin blasts from its eye spots at the Hivelord. "I thought he was just a legend, if he's real then the Titans?"

"Titans are those who evolve beyond their maximum, they are the final stage before one becomes a Monarch." Chief Thorn-Bringer said as Hector and Kimora looked at him in total shock.

Kimora stared at Chief Thorn-Bringer, certain that he didn't mean to say that. _Become a Monarch, that plus that thing there tells me there is a lot we don't remember about before the Veil, I think I should look into the history books in that Library._ Kimora thought ashe watched Lepidos attack the Hivelord and felt a bit of fear. "What about the team that went in, does he know about them?

Chief Thorn Bringer stared at Kimora before his mouth flashed and he slumped down. "No, and the artifact I used to communicate with him in the past is back in the villiage."

"Look!" Prickleback said as he pointed at the battle and Kimora opened his eyes as he saw that the Megabugs were turning on the cyborgs as Lepidos fired at the Hiverlord, glowing Megabug one of those who had been hit with the dust from Lepidos's wings.

"My old friend can only block the affect for so long, we have to hope the team inside will kill this monstrosity or take it down before it defeats him." Chief Thorn Bringer said as he raised his spear and charge at one of the Strikers and slammed his spear into the eye of the Striker and hovered backwards out of the range of another Striker. Before it could move in and attack Kimora a wall of fire formed on that side and Gilaflame stood by them, ready and waiting for Hector's order.

"Then let us handle whats on the ground. HELP THE GLOWING MEGABUGS! But watch out if Lepidos falls then so does his help!" Hector cried out as Gilaflame roared and charged at a Striker. _All we can do is hope that Nadia and Raiden can resuce Allie and handle that thing._ He thought as he looked at the battle with Kimora.

"I wish I had brought one of those weapons Raiden found." Kimora said causing Hector to look at him. "A long story I'll tell you with the others back at the temple."

As Allie used her gauntlet to block an energy strike before Sorgix fired a mana bolt from his bow at one of the five Strikers trying to get into the room they were defending. _Okay so far we're holding our own but we're stuck here, we need a way out or some other way to escape!_ She thought as she looked around as Grokcis charged forward and slammed a Striker down and grabbed it and threw it at one of the others. Before the other two Strikers could react a missile and energy bolt hit them from behind, slaying them. Before the remaining Striker could move Grokcis slammed its head into the ground crushing it as Sorgix put a mana bolt into the last two's heads. Allie looked down the hallway and smiled when she saw Ray, Tasturion, Nadia and Rusalka.

"Ray, Master Nadia, Bob!" Allie said as she ran to them and grabbed Ray in a hug, Ray putting his arms around her for a minute until both blushed and pushed off each other. "Thanks for coming after me, this place I can't summon and get this: this thing is draining mana from creatures in cells!"

"Then he was right, it is using the captives as fuel. There have to be at least four armies back there, and maybe at least two air forces." Ray said as he looked at the dead Strikers. "Master Kimora, Master Chavez and some reinforcements from the village are holding off the forces outside, we've got to put this thing down."

"Easier said than done. Rusalka feels **only** one more minds here, and it's that way." Nadia said as she pointed down the hall. "She's been trying to get anything from it but so far nothing, its shields are better than the Chotten's!"

Ray looked down the hall and then at the door that the other two Creatures were in, he could see five Bronze Arms and three Quillspikes standing there helping two Quillspikes to walk and he could recognized what had happened to them. _Okay, that's all the captives as far as we know so that's one thing done so there's that. And now we go to the mountain as they say._ Ray thought as he sighed and looked around. "So who wants to not go after the brain behind this?"

Grokcis and Sorgix looked at him and then at the prisoners behind them who nodded at them and turned back to the Duelists. "Boy we're of the Nature, we always go to the fight!"

Nadia looked at the weakened Beastkin and sighed. _It will be easier if they come do with us, at least this way if we find a way out of here down there then we leave this place quick. _Nadia thought as she looked at Ray. "Raiden, were there anyone else taken by this thing?"

"No, they only saw five Bronze Arms and Five Quillspikes being captured, this is everyone." Ray said and looked at Nadia.

"Why does that matter? The only reason is….." Allie trailed off and looked defeated" Annd we're taking them with us, aren't we? We're going to try and take this thing out."

"We only need to get closer to have Rusalka put this thing back to sleep; we can try and find a permanent solution after." Nadia promised as the Beaskin before looking at them Sorgix came forward.

"From what I've seen of these warriors the green ones should go first, then the quilled ones. I'll stay with them and my friend Grokcis here can go in the front ranks." Sorgix said causing the group to nodded.

Nadia went first, with Rusalka besides her with Ray and Tasturion following close behind, behind them was Allie, Grokcis and the Brone-Arms with the Quillspikes helping their drained kin and Sorgix taking the rear, his eyes behind them as he held his mana-bow ready to fire.

As they walked Grokcis moved up next to Tasturion and looked at his horns, frowning as he did so. "My apologies if this bothers you, but would you have a heritage of Dragons? You're horns look like the ones a comrade of ours named Blaztix had."

Tasturion looked at him, seeing only an inquisitive look and none of the hatred others had fro hybrids. "It's from my father, his name was Napalmeon."

"Never heard of him….must have been a mistake, sorry to bring it up." Grokcis said as he dropped back to let his mind wander. _Napalmeon? I've never heard of a dragon with that name as one of the slaves or free ones, could he have been a defender? Nomne of this makes sense and why are there humans with shielding artifacts but no weapons, I have a really bad feeling about this._ He thought as he looked over his shoulder at Sorgix who had the same troubled look in his eyes.

Tastuiron moved forward and walked put his head next to Ray. "I don't like those two, they don't know about my father."

"Just because he didn't know about him doesn't mean something's wrong Bob." Ray said quietly to Tasturion who shook his head.

"He almost became a _Titan_, if he hadn't been killed then he would have been the first Titan in centuries and with his power would have conquered the Realms." Tasturion said. "There isn't a Creature alive that didn't know his name, none at all."

"And they didn't know about the monarchs either, I really don't like this Ray." Allie said as Ray and Tasturion looked at her in shock before looking at each other. Before they could response to this information Nadia held up a hand and pointed towards around a corner they had come to and gestured for silence.

"Two more of those….Strikers are standing guard by a door. Rusalka can't get anything from them like mechanical Creatures so they might not have brains like we do….we need to hit them and get through that door before more are awakened and take this thing down." Nadia said as Sorgix moved up and peeked around the corner and moved back after a quick look and formed two arrows that he fired without moving. The arrows arched around the corner and Grokcis charged after them.

"Their down let's move!" Grokcis called out. Tasturion roared and charged towards the door, flames engulfing him before he crashed throught the doors to the chamber beyond.

"You stay here, Rusalka, Raiden with me!" Nadia called out as she charged forward, Ray, Rusalka and Allie behind her with Sorgix following behind as the other Beastkin moved after them slowly, keeping an eye out for anything that might come after them.

Tasturion looked around the room and scowled. "This is wrong, this looks more like the bridge of a Fire ship then the place to command a Living City."

As Grokcis and the Duelists followed Tasturion in Ray looked around took stock of the room. They had come out on a raised box like with a banister like something at the opera about fifty feet wide with a large green crystal set against the ceiling. The open box overlooked a large window that showed the outside of the Living City with the lower floor had what looked like five computer stations set in a triangle formation.

"Where's the brain, it should be here right and don't living cities have a second face to talk to creatures inside them?" Allie asked as they looked around. Ray nodded as he looked around the room and moved to the railing separating the two levels and frowned as he looked around. He could see two doors at both sides of the room were the only other ways out with a chair facing the window and a small round side table next to it with a bottle of a blue liquid and a goblet next to it, half full.

"Rusalka can't feel a sentient mind anywhere around here, but where could it have gone….It's a trap!" Nadia screamed right before the two doors thundered open and twenty Strikers poured forwth. Tasturion and Grokcis roared and charged as Sorgix fired bolts from his bow as the horde charge. As Grokcis roared and used one as a club he saw the back ranks at the right side stand there.

"The right, the controller is there!" Sorgix said as laughter came out of the crystal set against the ceiling.

"I AM HERE you fools!" A voice from the left caused them to turn and see a blond man walk out with some of the Strikers standing guard. He was wearing a head band with a glowing jade green diamond on it and the head band held back his flowing blond hair. His right eye was black with a gold cybernetic implant for his left that glowed the same green as his head band. He had a golden mantle on and his right arm was either made of the same gold metal or he had an armored suit of the substance under the green robe he was wearing. "So you are the ones who decided to take my property, I have to say that you brought such a wonderful hybrid for me to take possessions of along with yourselves won't extend my mercy."

"Who are you to dare to think to own any sentient being!?" Tasturion bellowed before he shot a blast of fire from his mouth and a Striker intersected it and died as the figure laughed.

"I am a Master of Atlantis! I am one of the Ascended, Entaris Magarisix!" Entaris said with a laugh as he looked at the battle before him, his eyes finding the humans as they dodged blows or formed shields.

Allie looked at the 'Master' and looked at the battle and decided to try to summon again. "Scaradoable of Gloomhollow!" She called as the crystal above released a flash and she felt a strange sharp pain that caused her to cry out.

"ALLIE!" Ray called as he looked at her as she fell and Entaris looked at her and licked his lips.

"I'm not sure what that was my dear but once your broken into a member of my harem I'm sure you'll sing all about it to me as we watch those of your old friends who survive die." Entaris said as Ray snarled as his vision went red as he looked at Entaris as Allie tried to get up. Entaris gestured and a Striker moved towards Allie who tried to get up and weakly and suddenly Tasrution was between here and the Striker, wrapping it in his chains and he then used it as a club against the others.

"The Crystal, it must be how he's control the City and theses things!" Nadia cried causing Sorgix to smile and aim at it.

"Thanks!" Sorgix called out and shot a bolt from his bow at the crystal. As the mana arrow shot towards the crystal Ray saw that Entaris only smiled as the bolt hit and was absorb into the crystal that gained strength as it's glow intensified as Entaris laughed.

"Are you trying to escape or are you all putting on a comedy! A blocker crystal can absorb all mana and elemental attacks!"

"All mana and Elemental attacks hu?" Tastuion said as he raised his arms at the crystal and fired missiles at it. As the crystal exploded and rained shared down on the Stikers Entaris slowly looked at Tasturion, his mouth dropped open. "Good to know."

"AAAAGGHHH I'LL EAT YOU!" Entaris roared as his headband glowed and the Strikers suddenly gained a green aura around them. "I've called some of my soldiers from the same direction you came from, once they kill those things outside I'll have you all served up while I break that beauty!"

Ray looked at the battle and scowled at Entaris. _That bastard, he was playing with us, he didn't think we could win so he's rampaging because we're on an even playing field. Got to finish this fast before his reinforcements come but how….the spell. But the others…sorry big guy. _Ray thought as he looked at Tasturion.

"Get back, I'm bringing the heat!" Ray cried prompting Allie to stare at him before staring at him with an open mouth before Ray turned to Tasturion. "Bob get her out of here!"

Tasturion looked at him before nodding and picked up Allie and Nadia and carried them back, Rusalka flew backwards grabbing Grokcis and Sorgix in a telepathic hold pulling them behind him as he and Tasturion ran to the door and hide out of sight of the chamber.

"We can't leave the boy in there alone!" Sorgix said as Tasturion looked at him with a hard look.

"Trust us, you do not want to be at ground zero for this!" Tasturion promised as Grokcis tried to get back in there

"So they're abandoning you, what are you a sacrifice to buy mercy, oh no. I will have that dear brunette as my slave boy, nothing…what are you doing?" asked as Ray gathered his mana and did a spell kata, his eyes locked on .

"Four winds, bring absolute incineration!" Ray roared before an explosion of flames suddenly shot out form him, blanking the room with fire, breaking the 'window' as flame rushed out.

As Lepidos swung around to attack again an explosion that blew out the eye of the Hiverlord caused it to buckle and crash into the ground and Lepidos wasted no time and fired bolts that destroyed two of the canons on its back. The other Megabugs that had been fight the Beastkin suddenly stopped and some of them flew away while others charged at the Strikers as the Beastking watched before Prickleback gave a shout.

"They're handling it inside of that thing, we have to handle the hybrids out here and we can end this!" Prickleback roared as a Three-Eyed Dragonfly, the Megabug he had tamed flew by him and he jumped onto its back and rained quills down on the Strikers.

"Quillspike is right, Bronze-Arms charge!" Shouter roared as he charged at the Strikers with Gilaflame following behind him as the Bronze Arms tribal warriors charged with them.

Chief Thorn Bringer raised its spear and aimed, ready to strike true once he had a shot. _I made this to tear that thing's mind away, to end that thing. I have one shot and I have to make this count._ Chief Thorn Bringer thought as he looked at the Living City in the distance as he aimed. "You two, stay out of my line of sight I have to make this right or else that thing's controller will live."

As the flames died down Grokcis looked at Sorgix before looking into the room, shocked at what had happened.

"Told you." Allie said with a smirk as she laughed at their faces.

Ray panted as he looked around the room as the spell ran its course. The so called 'Atlantian Lord had been driven to his knees and lost an arm and his clothing was burnt off, revealing that half his body and his remaing arm was revealed to be the same metal as his crown that had been broken. As Ray looked around he saw the Strikers that had been guarding him were broken with their cyborg parts melted into the corpses that remained. _I am so glad I decided to not cast that spell in the temple, really glad._ He thought as from the door he heard the sound of something falling and saw Sorgix looking into the room with a numbed expression.

"RAAAGGH!" A voice caused him to turn and pale as the corpse got back to its feet, using the staff it had used to direct to stare at Ray!

"You worm, you less than human thing! How dare you destroy my controller! Without it I'll only be able to control what forces my beast can fuel. I'll kill you!" Entaris snarled as he raised his staff and energy built up as Ray stared as his gauntlet deactivated.

"RAY!" Allie screamed as Tasturion roared and charged forwards before the glass 'eye' broke as a spear flew through the air and hit Entaris through the side as it picked him up and pinned him against the wall. Entaris eye clouded over as his body went limp as Ray released a breathed as Tasturion reached him and stood protectively between Ray and Entaris as Allie reached him, panting as she stood and looked at him with a smile he returned as he gathered his strength.

Nadia walked into the room and looked around, and with effort was able to not let the devastation. _The scroll said it was devastating but this is beyond everything I expected. That Raiden hasn't had to use it yet is lucky for everyone…_ _Rusalka what is it?_ Nadia thought as Rusalka hovered above and sent waves of sadness towards her before sending his finndings to her as she felt the Living City crash into the ground. She let a tear fall from her eyes and steeled her gaze. "We're done here, Ray, Tasturion led the way back to the hanger."

"What about the Living City, why'd it stop moving

"He lobotomized it, without him to control it, this thing is just a flesh machine." Nadia said robotically as Ray, Allie and Tasturion exchanged horrified looks.

As Ray and the others reached the ground they found Kimora, Hector their creatures and Chief Thorn Bringer waiting for them and with the others.

As the Creatures were helped to the ground Chief Thorn Bringer looked around and went still. "It can't be….GROKIS, SORGIX!" He called out as he moved towards them who looked up and smiled when they saw him.

"Thorny you twig, how are you?" Sorgix said with a smile.

"We haven't seen you in months, not since we left that camp with Fang, what happened, where are we?" Grokis asked causing Chief Thorn Bringer to stare at them in shock.

"Months….you were frozen…. It's been Centuries my old friends, I long ago thought you two dead as did Almighty Colossus, or as you called him Four-armed." Chief Thorn Bringer said. Grokcis and Sorgix looked at him before Sorgix grinned at him.

"Centuries…come on….your not kidding." Sorgix said as he dropped to the ground before Grokcis grabbed Chief Thorn Bringer.

"What of the Rebellion, what happened!?" Grokcis demanded. "We won right!"

"We killed them and their main headquarters was destroyed completely! The survivors spread out but well, a lot of things happened and now the world is currently split in two." Chief Thorn Bringer said as he looked at his friends. "But I'll tell you all about it once we get my people back to our village."

"Got nothing better to do, might as well." Grokcis said as he tried to figure out what this meant. Suddenly a humming caused them all to turn to the remains of the Hiverlord that got back to its feet. As it looked down at them it suddenly started to fly as they

"What does it take to put that thing down!?" Ray demanded as Tasturion growled as the Brone-Arms, Quillspikes and Megabugs looked at it as flew away. It was at least thrity feet in the air before a shimmering caused it to fade from sight and they stared in shock. Tasturion raised his cannon form his armor and fired bolts at where the Living City had been and as they passed through the air they realized that it had escaped.

"How, i mean, that spear skewered that thing through where the heart is on a normal person, he should have been dead!" Allie spat as

"It's gone…. That means it's out there." Chief Thorn Bringer said as he felt fear.

"Ray was able to destroy what we thought was the control artifact and the way it sent mana to those cannons. That alone is a victory." Nadia said as the Creatures around nodded.

"I think it's time we return to the Temple, let us get Gabriel and go." Kimora said as we reached down and started to cast a spell of healing on one of the Quillspikes. "After we've helped them first of course."

As the Beastkin moved to help their tribe mates and comrades Chief Thorn Bringer looked on as Lepidos the Ancient flew away, a feeling of happiness that one of his old friends was awake again, and that two he had thought dead were alive. _I know those two will want to try and track down their tribes, and perhaps the recent events is even connected to this. Still I think that this will be a good think at the end of it._ He thought as he went to help.

Alexander sighed as the last of the Megabugs were banished back arcos the veil and one of the Tech-minions looked up from treating his fellow and pressed a button on his gauntlet and looked around the area.

"The bugs are moving away sir; I think we can recover the supplies now." The Tech-Mionon said as Alexander looked at him with a scowl. _Of course you can go get the supplies now you fool, and of course you should have waited for the bugs to stop their attack! _

"There's a truck outside, go get it and then go get them, now and maybe I won't tell the Chotten knows about this beyond the fact that this was the fault of the dead idiot." Alexander said as the Tech-Minions paled and nodded before they ran towards the doors outside and opened it before getting the truck. As they drove into the factory and through the breech Alexander sighed and shook his head in disgust. "Besides you is there anyone in his employment that is actually worth something?"

"A few, but keep in mind he recruits brutes and survivors of creature events and well." Viviana said as she looked at her Creature as it rested on the floor and looked at the portal, growling as it did so. _I haven't really fought against Creatures outside of practice, and this was amazing! I can't believe that I was content to stay in the background but August did promise me interesting subjects to research._ She thought as she fingered the bottles on her belt as her Creature landed next to her and she scratched its neck absently.

"So that's his problems, and with how he felt about eating food from there I wonder." Alexander asked as Viviana looked at him. "If our friend August isn't making the most out of the opportunities that's available to us, then we might…." He trailed off at the look she was sending him and pointed towards her gauntlet with her free hand.

"I wouldn't talk about such things while you wear one of those or around the others." Viviana said as she pointed towards their Tech-Gauntlets.

Alexander looked at his Tech-Gauntlet and scowled. _So August might be listening in or recording this, I wonder if she and I should have a talk later on without these._ He thought as he looked at the tear in the Veil as it closed. "I suppose that we can talk about this later then, when you have a free moment of course."

Vivana laughed as she brought out her phone and opened a text app and read the messages she had archived. _So she's in Paris, the time difference will be a little bit of a problem but being able to talk with her again is wonderful. I wonder how she's doing taking that bitch down, I just hope she doesn't do it without me being there to help._ She thought as she moved some of her hair behind her right ear as she put her phone away. "Of course Alexander, I always believe that it is perfect to talk about such things when we **can**."

Alexander was about to say something when suddenly the Veil was opened and a Tech-minion pocked his head out. "Sir, Ma'am we've got something here, I don't know how to describe it beyond…..carnage."

Alexander frowned and walked through the tear and walked after the Tech-minion with Viviana and their Creatures following behind him. "What could be the problem now? I swear if wasn't for that brat breaking into my factory and the damages from the invasion I wouldn't be able to get any work done."

"It's this way sir, we found it while we were driving to the supplies and you'll want to see this." The Tech-minion said as he led the way through the forest and stopped and pointed at something in the clearing ahead of him. "There it is sir."

"What do I want to see…..hello what have we here?" Alexander asked as he looked at what the Tech-Minion was pointing to. It was a golden cyborg ant with a turret on its back and he whistled as he looked at it. _Okay this is interesting. That weapon on its back, no ammo feed so maybe internal, no there's no opening in the casing. Internal then, possible mana? A weapon with a replenishing ammo capacity interesting._ He thought as he watched as Viviana walked to it and started to inspect the bio-parts.

Viviana could barely breathe as she looked over the cyborg, her mind going all over the place at what this represented. _No scaring or ugly blood lines, so this has had time to heal from this if it wasn't born like it, no my research shows that's impossible, even the Water Civilization couldn't make something like that so surgery then, but when and how? Nothing I've even seen comes close to this thing, I need to take it back to the other side, set up that mana field I read about and examine it._ She thought as she looked at it before turning to Alexander. "We're taking this back with us, aren't we?"

"Yes we are, this has possibilities. Start loading it now with the rest of the supplies." Alexander said to the Tech-minions looked at each other. "Is there a problem with that?"

"That's going to be easy, some of shipment is…gone." One finally said as Viviana and Alexander looked at him with angered looks as Alexander just started to tell himself he couldn't kill them as his Feral Sabertooth stalked towards the Tech-Minion, saliva dripping from its fangs.

"What do you mean, some of it is gone?" Alexander demanded

"One of the generators and two of the computers are gone and well, you need to see this." The one who spoke up said as he gestured towards the truck.

Alexander started to follow then turned to the remaining two Tech-Minions. "You two, congratulations you're on guard duty. Summon something that doesn't think and don't loss that thing like the rest."

As they nodded Viviana followed after him and looked back as two savage humanoid wolves appeared and she smirked. _Just what he ordered, perfect. They can follow orders at least but I wonder what the boss will think when he learns about this, if he learns about this of course…I have been planning to try out my forgetter and since I overheard that they had orders about me if they succeeded. Of course there's the gauntlet to consider, I don't know if there's a recorder so he might find out if I do it._ She thought as they reached the truck and saw only one hover platform and frowned as she turned to the Minion. "Where's the other platform?"

"Gone, it had the computer and the generator." The Tech-Minion admitted as Alexander scowled at him.

"Any other surprises?" Alexander demanded as the Tech-Minion shook his head and he turned away. "Fine! Get the supplies and that corpse back to the factory and pray the Chotten is in a forgiving mood."

As the Tech-Minions ran off Viviana looked at Alexander as he looked around. "What are you thinking?"

"Who or what could benfit from having some of his tech?" Alexander asked as he looked around at the trees, trying to find anything that might tell him who did this. _Nothing, whatever took the other platform probably left the other here so the survivors could find it of course, smart._ He thought as Viviana sighed.

"Anyone really. And I've heard a few stories about Creatures that like to collect items from our side. And there's no way for it to be used to track down his base, not that anyone would know it." Viviana said as she looked at him. "Nothing more we can do here really, and I'll need a few hours to set up for the dissection of that thing."

"The Veil won't act against something like that?" Alexander asked as the Tech-Minoins directed their Creatures to put the corpse of the cyborg into the tuck and it drove off, Alexander, Viviana and their Creatures following with the Tech-minions bringing up the rear.

"There are ways around it my friend, ways that I know all about." Viviana said with a laugh as they passed through the Veil.

"So you're okay Kevin?" Giovanni asked as he held his phone and looked out the windows as his limo drove through the streets. "If I'm spending the rest of the month alone and having someone stay over will make that big house of mine feel more….inhabited really."

"Yeah, my place survived okay here Gio, thanks for offering but I gotta stay here. and you did get the text with the link right?" Kevin asked as Giovanni leaned back against his seat and looked out his stained window.

"Yeah I got it. And fine then, but the offer's open if you need to come on over man, see you when I see you." Giovanni said as he turned off his cell. _What could that have been, I know it was from something around here on that side but really what happened to cause such a wonderful event, oh if I could only replicate it!_ He thought as the limo drove onto his street and after a few minutes stopped outside his garage.

Giovanni got out of his limo and scowled as he looked at it as he saw all the dead bugs on it and walked to the open window at the driver's seat and looked at the _Creature _inside. "I want this thing cleaned, washed and buffed before sunrise tomorrow, at walked into his house and smiled as he looked about.

"How was your day master, shall Fifi prepare your bath?" A sensual voice purred to his right caused him to turn and see a teen his 'age' with black shinny hair in pigtails in a maid outfit that exposed the tops of her large breasts and had a very short miniskirt. She had on black lipstick and looked at him with a look of desire that caused him to laugh as he saw it. He laughed and brought a hand to her right check and she blushed and purred as he rubbed her check.

"No my pet, I don't think so. I think after the day I had I'll just take my usual and by the way, perfect acting." Giovanni said as the maid giggled and looked at him with a sneer on her face as she cupped her hands before.

"Oh I was so worried about you master, those horrible insects even attacked us I just didn't know what I'd do if you would die." She said in a cutesy tone at odds with the fierce look in her eyes.

"You would have died when the tether I have to you was destroyed with my death, yourself following within minutes. But don't worry, I found a worthy 'student' for you." Giovanni said causing the maid's expression to die and a scowl grew on her face as her eyes turned cold and looked at him.

"It's about time; I hope he's someone I could _work_ with." She said haughtily as her cloths glowed and suddenly she was wearing a black sleeveless dress with a v slit cut to her navel with a black ruby around her neck resting on her breasts.

"Don't worry Jezz, once you _claim_ him and he'll be able to be trained up right, he has a few anxiety issues but he has a nerve of steel, you just need to bring it out when he's _changing_, all in all he's just like you." Giovanni said as Jezz looked at him before smirking.

"So someone who had a life like mine before you found me, perfect." Jezz said as she sighed and looked nostalgic for a few seconds as she brought up one of her red painted nails and sucked on it. _Ohhhh, to bring him out of his shell sounds wonderful! And given how he has to have been bullied like I was, the way to get revenge will be perfect to get him to consent like I was._ She thought as she looked at Giovanni and frowned. "But of course you won't bring him around until your completely sure about him, won't you?"

"Of course, did you expect me to be anything else but perfect?" Giovanni asked as he walked off, stopping and turning towards her. "Oh I might bring home a new _drink_ within the next few days

"Very well _master!_ And do you know anything about why this happened?" Jezz asked as Giovanni looked back at her and then at the windows she pointed towards and the dead bugs on them. "And your spy is waiting to report to you about _her_."

"Thank you Jezebel, I'll be in my room do come join me up with a good vintage would you? We need to plan how to use a little information I got today." Giovani said as he walked past her and up the stairs to the right. He entered his room and noticed something was waiting on a perch he had set bellow one of his windows and walked to it and openend it, letting in a small cylcopsed bat that had stitch marks on it and smiled as it flew to his desk set before a wide windows that overlooked the backyard.

"Ahhhh my spy. Let's see what happened to her this morning then." He said as he shot a black mana string at the bat-thing and closed his eyes. He suddenly shot them open and slammed his fist against his desk. _So she had one of those then, and that brat was part of it. I had planned to leave him alone but maybe I should look into that list and see if she minds taken a few minions beforehand, a few artifacts to control a few stooges and scapegoats, and my dear will hate him after a while. Then I can come in like a knight and that is that!_ He thought as the bat-thing took flight and landed on his shoulder and he starched its chin.

As she saw him walk off she shook her head and moved away from the hallway towards her own room and sighed. _After all these years I'll be free, and that is something else. I wonder if I could make good on those dreams I had when I was their prisoner, they'll be over soon. I wonder if I should try and look into those few 'toys' I looked at around here, their'll be perfect for what I want to be. _She thought as she reached the bottom and walked towards a few rows of bottles. She walked along the ends and final stopped at an [RWS down the a] with the numbers 1980 and walked down the row, notting the bottles stacked together and final stopped at a grouping with the most bottles above a 'O+'.

"He likes this type best, and that was the year I joined." She muttered as she turned and came face to face with a skeleton dressed like a cowboy with green glowing balls of fire in its eyes. She frowned as she looked at it. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be supervising the digging….oh don't tell me you idiots hit a water line or something!"

As the skeleton shook its head she frowned and put the bottle back and looked at it. "Well show me what's wrong then."

The skeleton nodded and moved towards an area of the basement opposite of the stairs and walked through the wall with Jezz following behind it, entering a tunnel. After a few moments she walked out onto a ledge overlooking a cavern twenty feet down where more skeletons in ragged clothing armed with either pick axes or shovels were fighting against Darkness Creatures and frowned as she spied a breech in the Veil. She turned to the cowboy skeleton and looked at it with a glare on her face.

"And how long was that there?" Jezz asked frostily as the zombie held up four fingers. "Four minutes, no…four hours!? Why didn't you….of course you wouldn't….When did the creatures start coming through?"

The skeleton held up a finger and she frowned. "An hour? No ten minutes? Not so bad."

Suddenly laughter came from the breech as a female figure with pitch black skin in golden armor and a golden mask wielding a sword came out of the tear riding a large worm with dark grey plats with extended jaws with bare teeth set in a circle, two eyes on both sides of the front of its body and three spikes at its end.

"Oh my, where oh where are we my dears, have we finally found a way into San Champion?" The figure riding the worm asked as Jezz stared in shock before she set her face in a grim line as shadows went up her body and went to her arms and formed two pitch black sickles. She jumped of the ledge and landed before the worm and its rider and sliced the worm down the middle and the rider jumped and landed before Jezz. "And what's this, a Duelist who fights beside her creatures?"

"I don't know who or what you're talking about mam but this is my master's property, I'm sorry but I must insist that you leave." Jezz said as she looked at the rider who stared at her.

"Then try and force me, Gregoria back across the Veil!" Gregoria called out as she pointed forward causing her zombies to charge at the Skeltons. Jezz shot forward and caught the blade between her shadow sickles and looked at the eye marks on the mask. "I expect you to hide from behind as your Creatures fight mine, perhaps you aren't one of them."

Jezz watched as the skeletons used their digging tools fight and once in a while the Creatures would disappear and be replaced by new comers from the breech. _I have to buy myself some time I can't close this while that's open. No choice but to bind._ She thought as she dodged and trade blows with Gregoria. She jumped back and threw her right sickle at Gregoria's shadow.

Gregoria smirked behind her mask as she dodged the thrown weapon and suddenly she was immobilized. "What is this, I can't move!"

"I'm dealing with unruly guest all the time, but you my lady have tried my patience. Please stay there while I handle the party crashers." Jezz said as she dismissed her other sickle and formed two shadow circles before her hands and started to make hand signs and chant.

"Shadows cast between the worlds, close the door to make peace grow!" She called out before two black beams shot from her hands at the circles before both circles fired chains at the breach and forced it closed. _That should keep this place sealed from the other side for a few days, but I really have to come back here later and put up a sub crystal. And then there's her. _She thought as she turned towards Gregoria.

Gregoria looked at Jezz as she recovered from the spell and couldn't take her eyes off her. _That wasn't how the Duel Masters close a breech, that was more like something one of mine would do, what is she? _Gregoria thought as Jezz walked towards her and shadows went up her body to form a broadsword in her right hand. "You're not a duelist at all, are you? Are you even…Human?"

"That my dear guest is something that is none of your business, I'm sorry to ask you to leave now." Jezz said as she swung her blade through Gregoria's neck and she disappeared back across the Veil. Turning to the skeletons she issued her orders. "Keep working, but if that happens again I want to know within the first hour."

She walked back down the tunnel and grabbed the bottle before climbing up the stairs back to the house. After a few more moments she reached Giovanni's door. Knocking on the door she entered after a few moments. "My apologies for being late master but our workers encountered a problem. A portal opened before the Creature realm and I one of the humanoids came through, I was able to drive them back with the workers but she was sentient."

"You kept your mask up didn't you my dear?" Giovanni asked and smiled when Jezz nodded.

"I just used the Shadow Style to handle it master, that's all." Jezz said as Giovanni laughed.

"Perfect my dear, come join me. We have plans to make and a bridal shower to plan" Giovanni said as he leaned back and looked at the setting sun, sure of his victory.


End file.
